5 Christmas Gift Cards and Gift Certificates for Hippies

Hippies can be among the most frustrating group to Christmas shop for. Let me be clear about who I mean by hippies. I'm talking about those people who don't eat meat, or possibly don't consume any animal products at all. These people reuse, recycle, and sometimes eat from the garbage to avoid the sin of wasting food. They may not bathe, and they likely have body hair in places that most normal people would not. What makes hippies so difficult to shop for is their tendency to eschew owning stuff. They will not want anything that could have profited from the sweat of innocent children in foreign countries, anything name-brand, or anything from a retail store that exists in more than one location. That rules out about 98% of everything in the world that you could buy for them for Christmas.

Similarly, Christmas gift cards for hippies can be equally frustrating. Refer back to hippies not liking franchised stores, and being big fans of local businesses. Therefore, you should not buy your hippie Christmas gift cards to major retail stores or restaurants. Do not under any circumstances buy a hippie a card with the words "VISA" or "MasterCard" on them. They will begin to preach to you about the evils of capitalism, and then you may be tempted to slap them with bacon. Here are five Christmas gift cards and gift certificates that hippies will probably find acceptable, and might even earn you the self-righteous nod of approval.

Ten Thousand Villages

Ten Thousand Villages.com is both a website and a collection of stores that market fairly traded goods. To translate that into non-hippie: They buy stuff directly from the indigenous people who make it, paying a fair wage for the work. The merchandise at Ten Thousand Villages is beautiful, but rarely practical. They are mostly of a craft nature, with some neat exceptions. However, your hippie will feel good about spending money to support a global economy and fair trade. Ten Thousand Villages Christmas gift cards can be bought in any amount from $1 - $1000, either from the website or at a store. The cards are shipped freely and never expire.

Heifer Project

This Christmas gift card works with both the hippie's desire for few possessions and his desire for social justice. At heifer.org, you can purchase a cow, pig, or any number of other animals on behalf of your hippie. The animal, tree, or bees will be given to a hungry village. The villagers will be taught how to care for the animal, breed it, and harvest the gifts it has to give, be it milk, wool, or meat. Gifts can be as small as a share of a pig or sheep ($10) or as lavish as $10,000 to train women to care for livestock. Heifer will also sell you Christmas cards to let your hippie know the good he has done.

Whole Food Market and Local Harvest

Give your hippie the gift of food for Christmas. Hippie food can be expensive, and hippies tend to be poor. Most hippies prefer locally grown food, but it may be difficult to get gift cards from your neighborhood farmer's market. There are a few online stores that specialize in selling and delivering organic food. Whole Food Market.com sells gift cards starting at $20. Local Harvest.org offers emailed gift certificates for between $5 and $2000.

Maggie's Organics

Like food, hippies can also be picky and pricey with clothing. Maggie's Organics.com offers a selection of women's and children's clothing made from organic fibers and produced by companies that are fair to their employees. Christmas gift certificates can be ordered online for $10 - $100. The entire gift certificate must be used at one time, and the certificates expire two years after they're bought.

Progressive Kid

For Christmas presents for the hippies' children, Progressive Kid provides Organic, Tree-free school supplies, clothes, etc. Gift certificates can be mailed or emailed in amounts from $20 - $200.