On a similar thread to the "buying locally," at the end of the year, after paying off all of our Christmas debt, my husband & I like to donate the remainder of set aside money to a local charity. With all that goes on in the world--such as Hurricane Katrina--I understand that local charities often get neglected.
In the past, we have donated to Neighbor for Neighbor, Catholic Charities, and Emergency Infant Services. But I am curious if anyone has any suggestions of Charities that might not be heard of as frequently.
Before people start listing themselves as a great charity, keep in mind it is not a lot of money, and probably not worth the effort to create your own 501(c) corporation in the next two days (we like to finish before the end of the year for tax reasons).