Every year I say I will have all my Christmas shopping done by the end of November. Mmmm, I'm not sure I ever have.
Hope springs eternal.
Today's Thursday Mix is dedicated to making Christmas a little less... well you know.
Etsy.
Etsy is both wonderful and overwhelming. You can find everything from 50 cent crocheted bobby pins to thousand dollar paintings. I've found giving myself some rules about trying to buy as locally as possible narrows my choices (stay within North America, Eastern States preferred) and helps keep my carbon footprint in check. The more I shop on Etsy, the more "The Mall" gives me the heebie jeebies.
Green Dimes.
It's catalogue season. There have been years I've received 3 or 4 Lands End catalogues in one week. I ask you. I signed up with Green Dimes a little over a year ago, and the reduction in junk mail has been significant. Even the mailman commented on it a few months ago :-) No more credit card applications. No more Victoria's Secret catalogues (ya, sorry about that honey). No more too-heavy-to-carry-to-the-curb recycling bin every week. They don't seem to have expanded to Canada yet, but I'm sure there must be something similar.
Reciva.
I just discovered this a few days ago, and I'm hooked :-) A little bit like Pandora, but radio stations. You can browse by country or genre, or like me, just type in Bossa Nova or Big Band and your online shopping will be so much more pleasant :-)
(Ok, no more talk of Christmas for at least three more weeks.)
