December is rapidly slipping through my fingers and my vow to make all my presents is beginning to look a little shaky. I have very little money to spend, and I don't like to shop anyhow. Is it presumptuous to assume that there might be others out there in my predicament? I tell you what, I will tell you what to buy for the vegan in your life, and you hook me up with some ideas for my brother-in-law. He likes boats. And medieval weaponry. Go. No? Well then feel free to add to this list of reasonably priced gifts for vegans:
How about a cooking class at Spork Foods? Part of my hatred for shopping is that I'm just not really into stuff. Something that you can do together is so much cooler and doesn't take up precious room in a small house.
Or how about a new wallet? This idea might be my favorite. There are 13 different designs to choose from. One for each of the 8 - 12 year olds that participated in a recent writing workshop at 826LA in Echo Park. One child's short story adorns the inside of each wallet, and the outside sports an accompanying illustration by the Poketo design collective. Plus, the proceeds go to future programs at this tutoring center.
And for the little hippie on your list, here's some hemp shoes. I have to say, it is really hard to find a decent pair of kid shoes that don't cost a ton of money, and aren't most likely made by somebody else's kid. Kidbean's motto is "earth-friendly, labor-friendly vegan products for your family." They have cool art supplies and toys too.
Shoes? Is that a weird present? Because if you have a boy in your life that's grown out of his size 5 hemp slip-ons, maybe he's ready for something more stylish. Have you seen the Vegan Collection? This young company in Los Angeles puts out a thoughtful, reasonably priced product that would work for the vegan businessman in your life or your scruffy writer husband that really ought to have one pair of decent grown-up shoes.
Every super market sells reusable shopping bags now, but produce bags are a bit harder to come by. Anna Cummins at bringyourown.org makes cute produce bags from old t-shirts for 4 dollars a piece. Wouldn't that make the greatest gift wrap?
I'm a big fan of this t-shirt for the ladies. And this one for the kids. Herbivore also has a nice selection of cookbooks and zines.
Speaking of, if this hypothetical vegan you're buying for spends anytime on the internet, they probably already have the Vegan de Guadalupe Cookzine, but I'll mention it anyway because it's so cute. Man, a reusable produce bag filled with vegan cookzines would be a pretty great present. Why don't you also include Papa Tofu and Don't Eat Off the Sidewalk? Again, this is for the new vegan. Or the one without a computer.
Also, vegans always appreciate snacks. In that bag with the zines, you should definitely add some snacks. Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe is a great resource for vegan novelty treats like marshmallows and gummy worms that are normally made with things we don't eat.
Or if you really insist on getting up from your computer, you could always go visit Skylight Books or your local independent bookseller. You can never go wrong with books.
All this talk about nice people that make cool stuff that I can buy from the comfort of my kitchen while my boy takes a nap just makes me feel all warm and festive. I think there may be some Christmas specials and soy nog in my future. What did I forget? Please leave a comment with your brilliant ideas!
