With today being the official kickoff of the Holiday Shopping Madness (oops, I meant Season), we are presented with an outstanding opportunity to use our dollars as our voice, letting others know that we will not use our dollars to contribute to the suffering of other sentient beings, to the expansion of global warming, and to the negative health consequences of friends and loved ones.

Each dollar we spend, each gift we give, is a chance to practice dynamic harmlessness. Our purchasing power sends messages to manufacturers, stores, love ones, etc. so by being discerning regarding what we choose to purchase and gift to others is a way to demonstrate our vegan lifestyle in action.

There are a plethora of vegan fashion designers offering everything from shoes (did you know that if you googled “vegan cowgirl boots” on Amazon.com that there are actually 21 different boots, all under $100?) to daily wear, to outerwear, to glamour-wear, all with a wide range of pricing.

What about a vegan food gift basket? Or vegan restaurant gift certificate and movie tickets? Or vegan make-up? Or a vegan cookbook?

Re-gifting you say? Why not? As long as the item is in excellent condition and is being given from the heart, I say “go for it”.

Looking for a great bargain and a way to help the environment? Shop at thrift stores. I am always amazed at the extraordinary bargains one can find in these shops at less than a fraction of the cost. Several years ago, I was on the prowl for gold-tone silverware; and low and behold, there it was in a plastic bag with an elastic band wrapped around it. It was a huge bag, and I paid $29 for the entire lot. When I got home, I opened it up, delighted to find that it was a service for 12 with only one dessert fork missing. It even included ice tea spoons and two sets of serving utensils. But that’s not all. A friend of mine scours thrift stores for bargains that she then turns around and sells on Ebay. Upon my telling her about my find, she looked up the name that was stamped on pieces. Believe it or not, they were coated with real gold with one knife alone selling for over $75. Wow!!

Have some extra discretionary money this year? Have you considered sending a donation (even as small as $5…every bit helps) to a local sanctuary or shelter? If you don’t have any extra money that you can donate, what about volunteering at a shelter, maybe doing some socializing with the animals that are waiting for their forever homes?