What the 2008/9 festive season has been for me

- a Legofest - hours upon hours of making and sorting Lego both new and old with incredibly satisfying results
- subjecting our baby nieces to wearing pink reindeer headbands with bells on them
- a chemo-free Benjy!
- lots of yummy food and good wine, courtesy mainly of Ben's parents
- watching a bizarre and wonderful circus/cabaret show called La Clique (highly recommended)
- learning how to do my eye make-up a bit more daringly and creatively
- wearing my 'Burlesque' dress for the first time
- watching a woman light up a flaming g-string and nipple covers as part of the New Year countdown
- an impromptu gig by moi (see last post)
- hearing 'Chicken Payback' in a club venue and bending some funky grooves with The Turner
- scoffing all the chocolates I got given within 3 days of receiving them
- getting Volume 1 of Absolute Sandman (YAY!!!!) - thanks Benjy!
- getting the ultimate Kath & Kim DVD Boxset in a rooly nice and unusual quilted white handbag case (YAY!!!) - thanks Mum & Dad!!
- knowing with absolute certainty that 2009 is going to be an amazing year!

Happy New Year everyone! xx

Giving ethical presents

While we don't always want to acknowledge it, we live in a hopelessly greedy and consumerist society. We buy and buy and waste so much, every day. Half the time we don't think about whether we really need that item, whether we couldn't perhaps re-use it or fashion it into something else, or find a more sustainable alternative to the new thing. No wonder we're depleting our planet's resources at a devastating rate!

A good friend of mine, Kate, started encouraging her friends to buy ethical gifts last year, particularly when it came to her own birthday presents. I think this is a great idea and I'm now ready to do it myself. (Yes, I'll confess, it took me a while - I've always been a girl who's loved her 'stuff', but even I can change.)

So, all I ask of you is this: When a friend's birthday is coming up, or an occasion like Christmas, consider getting them an ethical gift. It may not be as tangible or as fun to play with as a regular gift, but it will help slow mass consumption a tiny bit. And it will also help heal the planet a tiny bit.

Certainly when it comes to presents for me, I'll be more than happy to receive an ethical gift :)

Where to shop:
Oxfam Unwrapped (International)
Your Tomorrow (UK)
Ethical Gifts (UK)
Present Aid (UK)

Other ideas:
- make your own cards from bits and pieces at home - get creative!
- make your own presents!
- give someone a voucher for your time doing something nice, like cooking a meal or giving a massage