Holiday Gift Guide

It’s December now, and what blog would be complete without a holiday gift guide? Whether you celebrate Christmas or Hanukah or are just looking for an excuse to get a gift for others or yourself, here are a few of my personal recommendations. Again, I should note that Ramada Maingate at the Park is in no way affiliated with these companies, and while I have personal relationships with some of these brands, I am not an investor in any way. I merely have an affection for them =)

Collaborative World T-Shirts I’ve mentioned them a few times on this blog, so I don’t know why I wouldn’t lead off my gift guide with their impressive collection of t-shirts. As a rule, 50% of the profit from every t-shirt is given away. That’s right, for Collaborative World, giving isn’t just another marketing strategy, it’s part of their identity. “Giving is the Brand” as they say. You can check out their website to see who their partners are for any given season and know exactly where your giving is going to. And yes, I do in fact wear the tees I’m promoting. I own 3 shirts, thank you very much ;p

Krochet Kids Hats Their website articulates better than I could, but basically they’re a non-profit organization that teaches Ugandan women to crochet so that those women can have sustainable jobs. Krochet Kids sells the assorted hats, scarves, and even laptop cases to have the means to train and hire more women. Each item you buy is hand-made by one of 87 Ugandan women, up from the 10 they were at only a year ago (I think… someone can fact-check that for me). I own The Barney in olive, and will be giving away The Christoph Scarf as my secret Santa gift.

31 Bits Jewelry They’ve quickly become one of the most popular and trendy fashion pieces (I’m not even sure that’s the right verbiage but I’ll go with it) in Southern California. It doesn’t hurt that they some local celebrities on board. Like Krochet Kids, 31 Bits aims to establish sustainability by empowering women in Gulu to rise above poverty. Each piece of jewelry is handmade by one of 63 women using 100% recycled paper and other local materials. And yes, they even have a couple of bracelets for men (I asked, and I was pointed to Penton and Hyde)

TOMS Shoes If you haven’t heard of TOMS already, it would be a shock to me. One of the forerunners and companies leading the charge in brands that make a difference. Their “one for one” concept simple: for every pair of shoes they sell, they’ll donate a pair to a child in need. I just got my first pair last week and am loving them.

Other Gifts to Consider:

One Hope Wine

If apparel and accessories isn’t what you’re looking for, how about a bottle or two of wine? They’re also a 50/50 giving company like Collaborative World in which they donate 50% of their profits. How they’re different (other than selling wine instead of t-shirts) is that every wine is paired with a partnering cause. They even list exactly how much goes to what cause. They were at the launch party I posted about a few weeks ago, and I rather enjoyed the Cab ;p

Future of Forestry Christmas EPs

If you’re looking for a great stocking stuffer, you’ve got to check out these Christmas EPs. I love Christmas music and I’ll be the first to admit the Christmas music genre is far too saturated. But if you head on over to their MySpace (yea I know, I’m pretty sure bands are the only ones still using MySpace) and sample some of their tracks, you might agree that their take on some old classics are worth revisiting. Hands down my favorite collection of songs to listen to this time of year.

and of course…

Disneyland Vacation

You can call it the Happiest Place on Earth or you can call it Where Dreams Come True, I’ll call it “across the street.” Do I really need to say more than “Disneyland”? It’s Disneyland! Come stay at Ramada Maingate at the Park and take advantage of our beginning of the year special. You can also get your Park Hopper tickets right at our front desk. Not only will you save time, you’ll also be saving up to $35/ticket. The priciest suggestion on our gift guide doesn’t have to be all that pricey ;p

Follow up: You can check out some of the items listed here at the Warehouse Sale