Even though we are still in November, Christmas is just around the corner!

My family and I have never been into giving big, expensive gifts; sometimes we have even celebrated Christmas without gifts, but it is always fun to give and receive!

In order to avoid the Christmas shopping madness that is just around the corner, I decided to do my shopping early. I have put together a list of where you can shop, find great gifts in your price range, and help your community at the same time!

1.Etsy

www.etsy.com

Etsy is a global online community of individual vendors who sell a huge variety of things. On their website, you can find anything from baby clothes, to handmade jewelry, craft supplies, art, toys, and vintage items.

The things on Etsy are all beautiful and unique. Best of all, there are things in all price ranges!

You can communicate directly with the vendor if you have questions, and they always answer the same day! Etsy is great because you do not have to deal with big corporations, stores, lines or bad customer service; you can find unique products, and you can support individuals who are promoting themselves!

Etsy's motto is:

"Whoever you are, find whatever you're into."

You truly can find whatever you are into on: www.etsy.com

2.Your Local Farmer's Market

Believe it or not, there are tons of cute, sweet, tasty or fun gifts you can find at your local farmer's market. Not all goods sold at farmer's markets are perishable. I have found tapestries, hand made jewelry, teas, kitchen ware, granola in mason jars and natural beauty and health products all at farmer's markets.

3. Blurb

www.blurb.com

Make someone a book this Christmas by uploading your own personal photos and writing in your text. This makes a great gift because you can make it as personal as you want, and your book will be 100% original!

4. Target Dollar Section

Okay, so Target may be a big corporation, but you can definitely find cute and useful gifts in the dollar section! These gifts make great stocking stuffers or small things for the special people in your life. You can even buy things in this section for your office mates and peers without spending a lot of money or making other people feel bad for not getting you something.

5.Trader Joe's

But isn't trader Joe's a grocery store? Yes! But, who does not like to receive a delicious chocolate on Christmas morning? Or some spicy ginger snaps or maybe a tea tree tingle body wash? They have all sorts of seasonal items!

Trader Joe's is great because all of their products are delicious and made from high quality ingredients! No high fructose corn syrup, GMO's or MSG are used in their products. Aside from edible products, you can also find plants, vitamins, and toiletry items!

6. Christmas Bazaars

Check out Christmas Bazaars near you and you are bound to find a bunch of stuff! When I go to Christmas Bazaars, I always want to buy everything! Not only will you bring joy to someone's life, but you will also give the vendor joy when you buy something from them. Oh, and on top of all this, you will also be happy because you supported an individual vendor! So Christmas Bazaars are a win, win, WIN situation!

7. Make it Yourself!

No, there is no store called Make-It-Yourself, but you can go to your local craft store, buy some construction paper and glue and make it yourself! You will never regret giving someone a homemade gift! You can bake or cook something for them too! Maybe you could take a pumpkin pie to the office instead of buying gifts!

You can make frames, books, knitted or crochet garments, drawings, cards, edible items, woodworking projects; the sky is the limit here.

8. Animal Shelters

Maybe you know someone who needs a furry friend! Go to your nearest Pet Supermarket or animal shelter and adopt a little someone! You will be giving the furry little angel the gift of a home, and you will be giving someone the gift of a friend! Hey, you could even get yourself a buddy and justify it by saying you were giving someone the gift of a home.

9.Commission An Artist

Know any artists? If you do, commission them to make you a drawing or a painting! You will be supporting an emerging artist and giving the gift of art, which is priceless! Art is one of the best gifts you can give, and it is even better if the art is an original piece made especially for you!

The above photos are of our family cat! I had them commissioned by the Pet Painter Mike Tesch. (Miami Friends, check out his website!) Mike Tesch Artist: http://www.teschpets.com/

10.Amazon

For those of you with a very particular idea in mind, try www.amazon.com ! You can literally find almost anything on Amazon for as much or as little as you want to spend. Make sure you check the arrival date of packages if you want them to be on time for Christmas and order them with a few days to spare in case there are any delays with the postal service.

11.If you don't have any dough

If you do not have a single penny to spend this season, that is totally okay. Give the gift of service or luxury! Give someone a coupon for any service you can provide for them!

For example:

1. A coupon for a massage

2. A coupon for a lawn mowing

3. A coupon for a dog bath

4. A coupon for a house cleaning

The sky is quite literally the limit when it comes to coupons!

12. Poetry

You could also put your brain to work and write someone a funny poem! You would be surprised at how fun and easy it is when you use an online rhyming dictionary such as http://www.rhymezone.com/!