'Feel-good' gifts for hard-to-shop for people on your list

LOS ANGELES

Many of us have at least one person who's tough to shop for on our holiday list.

Instead of fighting the crowds at the mall, Consumer Reports ShopSmart says to consider giving a "feel-good gift."

"Our teams scoured the Web to find sites that sell unique, affordable gifts for everyone on your list," said Jody Rohlena, a Consumer Reports ShopSmart editor.

One nonprofit site to consider is BeadforLife.org. It boasts handmade jewelry made from recycled paper. Some bracelets cost $5 each.

"We found a lot of sites that use recycled or repurposed materials and also give back to the environment," said Rohlena.

Ecoist.com sells everything from handbags to home goods.

Econscious Market is filled with great eco-friendly gifts including an iPhone alarm clock dock for $40.

For young artists, fingerprint art sets go for just $10 at Giggle.com.

"This site lets you round your purchase up to the nearest dollar, and the extra goes to a children's charity," said Rohlena.

And delight someone's taste buds with an $18 gift set from Greyston Bakery.

"This bakery's mission is to give jobs to hard-to-employ people. In fact, their slogan is, 'We don't hire people to bake brownies. We bake brownies to hire people.' And the brownies are really delicious," said Rohlena.

So this holiday season consider a gift that keeps on giving for those tough-to-buy-for family and friends.

And we didn't forget about your furry, four-legged friends. There are some great gift ideas at OliveGreenDog.com, from fair-trade pet toys to collars from recycled materials. And if you have a variety of people to buy for check out GiftsThatGive.com. The site more than 100 upscale brands to choose from - first choose your cause and then shop for your gifts, and $1 from every $5 goes to your charity of choice.

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