All I want for Christmas

All I want for Christmas is peace on earth. Really. Don't you?

I know don't want another "thing" in my life. No sweaters. No socks. No new pajamas. And I have plenty of toys. Most of the time, Babycakes and I try to make a conscious effort to give experiences rather than things. This year we're not exchanging gifts. Besides, we just got a lovely new floor. And we're booked for a trip to Italy this fall.

So if you really, really have to get someone something for Christmas, here are some gift suggestions. Donate some cash to these worthy organizations:

The Center for Women and Families -- engages individuals and community in the elimination of domestic violence, sexual violence and economic hardship through service, education and advocacy. (This is the agency where Babycakes is a director. It's important work. Get out your checkbook.)

InKY Reading Series -- a monthly music and literature event held on the second Friday of the month at the Rudyard Kipling in Louisville, Kentucky. The reading series is a project of InKY, Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. (We love us some poetry, fiction and music. This is grassroots and damn, that's good.)

Appalshop -- a multi-disciplinary arts and education center in the heart of Appalachia producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography, multimedia, and books. (I spent my formative years there, honing a craft that is yet to reveal itself.)

I guarantee that none of these gifts will ever end up in a landfill.