With gift giving on our minds and thoughts of suffering animals and people on our hearts, we make our gift lists while attempting to navigate the razor's edge between what our loved ones want and expect and what we feel good about giving.

Rae Sikora has a lovely "Caring consumer wallet card" that you can print from her website at www.plantpeacedaily.org/resources.html. Having that card with us as we brave the decked halls of frantic shopping malls, will help keep us shopping and creating while staying true to our common vision of a world of peace, nonviolence, and as little plastic as possible.

The Circle of Compassion Prayer Flag for Animals project continues to send flags to many states in the U.S. and as far away as Australia. This would be a great time to purchase more flags as gifts. All proceeds will be used to order more flags from our free-trade, third generation prayer flag makers in Nepal until we have encircled the earth with flags flying prayers on the wind for all beings everywhere. You can purchase them at www.peacetoallbeings.com.

Other ideas for animal, peace, nonviolence, and earth- friendly gifts might include: donations to animal sanctuaries and to animal and human rights organizations in honor of your loved one. Please do not donate to Heifer International which ships animals to needy people instead of helping them find nonviolent ways to make a living.

Vegan cookbooks as well as videos and books that explain the necessity of a vegan lifestyle are loving gifts. Of course, we can't help but mention our books-- The World Peace Diet, Peace to All Beings, and The Missing Peace. Proceeds from those sales will be donated to vegan organizations and to help grow the Circle of Compassion into a larger and more beautiful circle of love embracing the planet and all who live here.