The odds are good that, no matter what your religious affiliation, you are currently in the midst of the holiday gift giving bonanza also known as the month of December.

I’ve heard tales of people so organized, so prepared, that their holiday shopping is already complete. Can this be true? Who are you people?

My own conundrum is, while I adore this time of year and the get-togethers, the lights, the cookies and the chocolate, I hate shopping. I mean, hate-hate. Always have. I realized a few years ago, my choices were to either become a complete humbug about it all, or gain some savvy strategies. Having read my Dickins, I chose the latter.

In the spirit of the season, I hereby pass on what I have learned so far.

First on the list is the ethical donation. There are plenty of amazing charities doing full-stop amazing work without anywhere close to enough funding. Think about what the loved ones on your list care about. Feeding our community? Preserving nature? Local farms? Birds? Dogs and cats? Bats? Kids? Combating light pollution?

Make a short list, then do a quick search. Whatever the priority, there’s a charity, local or global. You can run the potential beneficiaries through Charity Navigator to make sure your dollars will be used the way you intend them to be. Then, make a gift in your loved one’s name.

Now, let’s be honest. I listed that one first because it really is important, but I know it’s that kind of gift is not for everyone. It is hard, I admit, to get the same “wow” factor from a donation as a regular gift-gift. I get it. So in case you want a more tangible gift (or to pair an item with a charitable donation), may I tempt you with a farm food gift?

Maine is blessed with a lot of really great farms. Chances are, there is one close to the people on your list. A farm share is an amazing gift that both supports local agriculture and ensures the recipient gets beautiful, nutritious food.  If a full farm share is too costly for you, what about an element or two from the farm? A jar of honey? Or maybe syrup? Nicely wrapped with a little sprig of pine and a note about the farm tucked in? Or wares from a local coffee roaster? Or baker? .

If you are in the market for something a little less edible, we in Maine are also blessed with a plethora of amazing artists (see any of the galleries that will pop up in a search) and craftspeople. The Maine Crafts Association maintains a great website where you can search by location or by type of craft (including jewelry, hint, hint).

If none of this meets your needs, may I suggest a trip downtown? No matter where you live, there are so many really cool, interesting businesses in our communities and they all need us to support them if we want our downtowns to stay the cute and active postcard perfect places they are.

Maine is also home to a shocking number of writers – and independent bookstores. This is super helpful in my family as we have eased up on gifts in general (except for kids who make out like bandits) and adopted the Icelandic tradition of gifting a book and cocoa on Christmas Eve. Everyone gets into their coziest jammies, grabs a mug and curls up with their new book for a quiet read. This low-key, cozy tradition has quickly become everyone’s favorite way to do the holiday.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, and however you choose to celebrate it, may this season bring you lots of laughter and joy.