Challenging the notion that Christmas gift-giving has to be about spending lots of money, and buying the latest hot item, Folksy and Sue Ryder Careare running a competition called Upcycle Christmas.

As of 6am EST both the naughty and the nice among us can track the movements of Kris Kringle as he delivers his special brand of holiday cheer around the globe.  At the Santa website hosted by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and powered by Google maps, users wondering when to extinguish their fires and leave out cookies and milk now have multiple viewing options.  As CNET reports:
Santa fans can also track his movements in 3D in Google Earth by downloading a special NORAD Tracks Santa KML. iGoogle users can add a NORAD Tracks Santa gadget to their iGoogle page.
Google will be displaying [...]

For many, this holiday season is muted by the economic situation, but thankfully it allows for some innovative twists on the blitz of consumerism.  The internet is abuzz with instructions or free templates for do-it-yourself seasonal ornaments and decorations.  Some projects are simple paper constructions, but others include some more dedication like this intricate Nutcracker.  Make-a-Flake even lets you test your snowflake creations online before wasting precious paper.  The hundreds of free projects available from clearly talented designers allow motivated individuals to create rich holiday decorations by going to their cabinets and drawers instead of bank and stores.
As most retail [...]