In Europe during the Middle Ages, revelers had a unique way of celebrating the season: The poor would knock on the doors of the rich and demand their finest food and drink. Compelled both by tradition and by a need to repay society for their wealth, the affluent often obliged, inviting the less fortunate right into their homes for a meal and good cheer.

While you can't exactly invite a Canadian harp seal or an American horse into your home this holiday season, you can help out the world's less fortunate creatures by shopping humanely. What exactly does that mean? It can mean a number of things: You can purchase gifts that were made without any animal products. You can purchase gifts that strive to educate and create a better world for animals. Or you can contribute to organizations that devote their energies to easing the pain and suffering of our fellow creatures.

The following list of humane gift ideas is subjective and by no means complete. It was compiled by the staff at The HSUS's headquarters. We can't personally vouch for every item, but we think that by purchasing these, or any other item that contributes to a more humane world, you will be symbolically inviting the animals who share our world to your house for a healthy meal and good cheer.

Your Main Domain

Our recommendations, of course, start right at home—the home page of HumaneDomain.org, The HSUS's online store. The electronic store is your one-stop shop for the pet owners in your life—and their pets, too. From raised neoclassic dog bowls to dog-bite prevention posters, Humane Domain has just about everything you could ever need for gift giving.  

You want pet-themed jewelry? Take a look at our "Good Charma" key ring, which features tiny, adorable, dangling pet charms. Or how about a "Love Me Love My Dog" cuff (which comes in a feline version, too). We have your clothing needs covered as well. Check out our "Chat Cat" t-shirts, our "Dogfather" tees (a shirt you can't refuse), and our "Dog Person/Cat Person" t-shirts. We even have a "Pampered Pooch" robe, and "Paw Print" flannel PJs. 

Humane Domain can even make your pet feel like a king—or queen. Your cat, though, may feel more like an Egyptian princess on her portable "Kitty Hammock." Your pooch will certainly take on a royal air with our "Chiffon Holiday Ruff." And what precious pet could live without a "Peak a Prize" toy box or a gift box of bite-size treats?

If you're still looking for a little twinkle-twinkle—sort of bling-bling, holiday style—for your home, Humane Domain has a number of seasonal items still available. We have "Meow Christmas" ornaments, "Breed Velvet" stockings, and "Canine Musical" snowglobes. We can even fulfill your last-minute need for holiday cards, both in dog and cat themes. 

Collaborating for Animals

The HSUS works together with a number of different companies to offer you products and services that make your life better—and help create a better life for millions of animals around the world.

We can, for example, provide you with real purchasing power for the animals. You can use The HSUS credit card from MBNA America Bank, N.A., to pay for gifts this season—or anything else you need—and MBNA will send money to support our life-saving programs. Writing checks this year? Show your support for all animals by ordering HSUS personal checks from Classic Checks, which feature four attractive designs of domestic and wild animals. Every time you order new checks, 10% goes to The HSUS.

You can also celebrate the season with our special collectible blown-glass ornament, created by acclaimed designer Christopher Radko especially for the May Department Stores Company and hand-painted by European artisans. The May Company also commissioned a special line of Russ Berrie plush animals to benefit The HSUS Pets for Life® program. Click here for more details, and look for these charming keepsakes at May Company stores this season.

Perhaps you're a more introspective type? You can now read your way to a more humane world through our collaboration with Magazine Value Partners—a subsidiary of Reader's Digest. When you subscribe to one of the available magazines—saving up to 85% off the newsstand prices in the process—40% of your purchase will go directly to The HSUS. This is a gift that will give year-round!

If you're a reader, you're likely a writer as well—of holiday cards. And what will you need to send those cards? Stamps, of course. We can help you there, too. Through our partnership with Zazzle.com, we have developed a very special HSUS Disaster Relief Stamp that'll send the right message this season, while also sending your card.

Finally, you can even enjoy music and learn about animal protection. Singer/songwriter Tom Fuller is combining his love of music with his love of animals by using his latest CD, Chasing an Illusion, to promote the work of The HSUS and our Pets for Life campaign. You can hear a clip of Fuller's music, read about his work with The HSUS, and buy the CD at www.tomfullermusic.com.

Stuff That's Animal-Free

One profoundly disturbing contradiction of modern life is that even though we have mostly banished animals from our immediate environment, animals continue to surround us in one form or another. Food products are the most obvious example, but animal-derived ingredients can also be found in plastics and pillows, clothing and candles, even in the fluids that help run our engines. Avoiding products with any whiff of animal suffering takes continued and determined sleuthing. 

Fortunately, there are companies that want to help us in our search for a vegan lifestyle.

The Maryland-based Pangea Vegan Products peddles everything from belts and shoes to food and household products, and as the company name clearly states, everything is animal-free. Pangea says it thoroughly checks out its suppliers to ensure the vegan content of every product. Even the materials it uses to ship anywhere in the continental United States are recycled. Talk about guilt-free shopping.

Like Pangea, Vegan Unlimited offers a wide range of animal-free products, carefully vetted for compassionate consumers. The California-based company sells practically everything, from footwear to food to a vast line of cosmetics (the latter items clearly aimed at women who want to look good without literally turning animals into fashion victims). Women looking for alternatives to leather fashions, shoes, and handbags can shop to their hearts' content at Alternative Outfitters, a California-based, ahem, outfit. The company also offers cruelty-free cosmetics and hair-care products right at your fingertips. Both Vegan Unlimited and Alternative Outfitters ship nationally.

Incidentally, if you'd like a longer list of companies that sell cruelty-free products, you can always check out the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics' web site (www.leapingbunny.org), which covers more than just skin-care products. It lists companies that sell cruelty-free household, animal care, and personal care products, too.

Cartoonist Dan Piraro has developed a devoted following with his pointed panels that make people look at their relationships with animals from a different point of view. Piraro sells a number of products, from postcards to t-shirts, that boast his colorful animal commentary. You can purchase these items online, and feel good about it. All profits go to animal rights causes.

Of course to conduct all this shopping, you'll need a good pair of cruelty-free shoes, which you can purchase from Moo Shoes, an operation based in New York City, where walking is practically a contact sport. And after you're done shopping, you'll need to take a long shower, which you can with the help of soap from Dirty Kitty Vegan Soapworks. Naturally, you could buy these products for others, too, since this is supposed to be the season of giving.

For those people on your holiday list with a sweet tooth, check out a pair of online stores that produce and sell fine vegan chocolates: Allison's Gourmet and Tree Huggin' Treats. Don't take our word for it. Both companies have received Veggie Awards from Veg News magazine in recent years. If baked goods are more your thing, look over the options at Sticky Fingers Bakery, which is also a Veggie Award winner.

In fact, now that we're thinking about it, if you know someone who likes to stay on top of the latest happenings in the vegetarian world, you might buy them a subscription to Veg News. You can order a gift subscription online.

Stuff About Animals

The world is full of information about animals, whether books, TV shows, documentaries, movies, DVDs, magazines, you name it. Where should you turn if you want good, reliable information about animals and our relationship with them?

Well, if you need info about dogs, where better to turn than the bible? That is, The Dog Bible by Tracie Hotchner. From first aid to Frisbees, if it's about dogs, you're likely to find it somewhere in this book's nearly 700 pages. Hotchner says the book contains "everything your dog wants you to know." We suspect your interest level will be high, too.

In 1999, the Chicken Soup for the Dog and Cat Lovers' Soul was published, and shot to The New York Times' Best Sellers list. No wonder. With more than 65 million pet-owning households in the United States, and millions more people who simply love animals, the book's moving and inspirational stories were irresistible. Now you can give one or both of the newest two volumes: Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul.

Few people write as eloquently about animals as former White House speechwriter Matthew Scully. His 2002 book, Dominion, is still a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how modern society thoughtlessly exploits animals and how we are morally obligated to stand up against this cruelty. It's no wonder Atlantic Monthly chose it as one of the ten best nonfiction books of 2002. You can order the book online at www.matthewscully.com.

Humane education can't start early enough. One way to ensure that your child understands the importance of treating animals humanely is to purchase a classroom subscription to KIND News—a colorful newspaper for elementary school students published by our youth education affiliate, the National Association for Humane and Environmental Education. Perfect for teaching children respect and kindness toward people, animals, and natural habitats, KIND News is sure to make a lasting impact. Visit www.nahee.org for details. While your on site, you can also check out NAHEE's list of best children's books, which would make great gifts as well.

The truth is, The HSUS has educational and outreach materials for people of all ages. Just check out our Publications Catalog, where you'll find an array of brochures, books, posters, bumper stickers, bookmarks, and more. To order your catalog copy, e-mail officeservices@hsus.org or call 202-452-1100.

Stuff That Helps Animals

Some adopted animals don't actually live with you, and in the case of a manatee, that's probably a good thing. The Save the Manatee Club has a number of sea cows available for "adoption" via its web site; your $25 adoption fee will get you a photo of your manatee, a biography, and updated reports on your animal. Actually, what your money gets you is a little peace of mind: The organization uses the donations to help protect the endangered manatee from boat collisions, commercial development, and other threats.

Perhaps you'd rather adopt an animal that once faced a different set of problems? Farm sanctuaries such as Poplar Spring, Lighthouse Farm, Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, and Farm Sanctuary allow you to adopt animals that were, at one point, destined for the slaughterhouse. The best part of this deal is that if you live close to a sanctuary, you can actually visit your adoptee. Similarly, you can help feed rescued wild horses at The Fund for Animals' Black Beauty Ranch by purchasing a food kit from the Animal Rescue Site.

The one animal you should consider carefully before adopting during the holidays is a pet. If you want to give someone the gift of a companion animal, consider giving them an adoption certificate from a local shelter. Many shelters allow you to purchase gift adoption certificates, which recipients can redeem at a time that's right for them. After all, adding an animal to the family is an important decision, and should be made when all the people who will be involved in the animal's care can have a say in the matter. (Of course, if you want to do something for homeless pets during the holidays, you can always check with your local shelter and see if you can purchase an item on its wish list.)

Long after most holidays gifts are a distant memory, yours could pay dividends for hundreds of thousands of harp seals in Canada. When you purchase a Club Sandwiches Not Seals shirt or sweatshirt, or a pair of Save Seals mittens, part of the proceeds will go to our Protect Seals campaign, which is working to halt the annual slaughter of more than 300,000 harp seals in northeast Canada. Likewise, each time you purchase a Do Something! t-shirt from Wildlife Works, the company will donate $10 to the Protect Seals campaign.

Even your dog can send a visible message of kindness to animals every time you walk him! Our blue and brown CauseCollar^TM is the first-ever dog accessory collar fashioned after the popular "message" bracelets for people. Imprinted with the slogan—"Be Kind"—the CauseCollar is made of silicone with a buckle closure. The 24-inch collar can be cut easily to fit any size dog and makes a great gift for all of your pooch’s pals. Proceeds from the CauseCollar support our Companion Animal programs.

And, finally, remember that gift memberships to The HSUS—or a donation through our Hip, Hip, Humane!™ living tributes program—make fantastic gifts that everyone will appreciate because they help us continue our vital work to protect animals. Your friends will receive a special holiday card announcing the gift made on their behalf. Call 1-866-MY-FRIEND (1-866-693-7436), or visit www.hiphiphumane.org to make  this holiday bright for all animals, and all your friends.