Gift Guide Part #3: Your Outdoorsy Sister Who Is Always Up for a Bike Ride, Tells the Best Jokes and Is a Genius with Emojis.

joanna – i LOVE YOUR gift guides. i’ve been following since last year and the ideas are so unique and lovely and fit the people i need to buy for! PLEASE don’t ever stop doing this at holiday time!!!! THANK YOU!!! (i’ve had some coffee, sorry for the all caps!)

What great ideas! My sister totally fits your title. :)

I’d heard of the Heifer gift program before, but thank you for reminding me. I just donated $10 toward a sheep!

Chloe | Wanderlust in the Midwest

A lot of people support livestock gifting charities like heifer international at this time of year, but it is not as good of an idea as it sounds and can actually further impoverish communities.

•Animal donation programs can fail (and the animals die) because the recipients don’t have the money to afford proper vet care (if it is even available), and donor programs sometimes don’t account for that in their funding (It costs a lot more than people are willing to pay per goat as donors.)
•All farm animals require proper nourishment, large quantities of water, shelter from weather, and veterinary care. It is questionable whether it is worthwhile to devote such resources (in critically short supply in many developing countries) to such an indirect way of feeding people.
•Animal donation programs perpetuate dependency of people on donors (versus working with recipients to address their own needs, be it acquiring animals or seeds or whatever, but by themselves)
•Animal donations are easy for donors and make them feel good, but what is needed more are the less “sexy” things like leadership, peace building, psychosocial assistance, basic business training (how to save money and get where you want to be), and training in how people can help themselves out of poverty.
• Supplying cows, goats and chickens to impoverished people with limited resources can just add to their burden.

Please see http://freefromharm.org/agriculture-environment/10-reasons-to-say-no-to-animal-gifting-hunger-orgs/
for more information.

-K.C.

Hey Joanna, could you review the barre fitness class you went to in SF? Curious about your thoughts. Thanks!

HAHA I just got back from SF (Thanksgiving break) and that “in fog we trust” tote is perfect. I really love the book of untranslatable words. Other Wordly has a nice collection of words, both English and foreign :) -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s

This gift guide perfectly describes my best friend/soul sister. Now to pick the perfect option from the list!! Thank you!

I just love terrain. The les fleurs calendar is so pretty!

Thank you so much for mentioning Heifer!! I’m from Arkansas and have visited Heifer International. It is a wonderful organization. I give flocks of geese to everyone as Christmas gifts every year!

I’ve been looking for an anniversary gift and decided to check this list just in case I might see something for my bf, and donating an animal is so perfect! I know he would love the idea of providing to a family with this kind of help.It’s giving someone a fish AND teaching them how to fish:’) Thank you so much for showing us about this! It be awesome if you could write a post dedicated to Heifer, specially now for the holidays, so more people can learn about it and give to those in need. God bless ♥

Those tattoos!! I just ordered them for practically everyone on my list and now have to include them in my own gift guide. Great find Joanna!!

http://www.minipiccolini.com

marianne, i love that!

Back issues of New York Mag – brilliant! Thanks for these awesome suggestions.

I have to go find a sister. All I have is a crummy brother who wants me to come visit and go fishing with him. gaaaa !

This gift guide is VERY on point and I AM the sister that this is catering to (not to toot my own horn or anything but a plaid shirt, chocolate chip cookies, Tattly’s, a quirky mug, canvas plant holder and giving farm animals? Yes PLEASE!)

PERFECT.

You ALWAYS have the BEST gift guides! I love that you include a charity at the end of each one. In my family, we decided (starting last year) for each couple to give to a charity of their choice instead of giving gifts. It makes life so much easier and makes you feel so much fuller during the holidays.

This guide is golden! Thanks.