'Tis the Season

Travel may be about getting away from it all, but after a few days of touring with a MP3 player with no battery power and a Muzak version of "Copacabana" stuck in your head, there's a tenuous line between getting away and going insane. Enter the Solio Solar Charger. Simply snag a window seat on your next bus, plane, or train ride; swivel out the solar panels and suction the device to said window; plug in your player; and dissolve that haunting tune with your favorite playlist as the charger funnels the power of the sun to rejuvenate sapped batteries. One hour of charging should give you roughly an hour of audio sanity or 25 minutes on your cell phone. You can also plug it into a wall outlet and use the device as a portable charger when on the road—and the charge lasts for up to a full year. The standard kit comes with six charging tips to accommodate a wide range of cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, portable games, GPS devices, and digital cameras that accommodate Mini USB charges, with additional accessories available online ($100; www.solio.com)

To give a gift to the truly eco-conscious, think beyond the Al Gore DVD and give a gift that actually fights global warming. TerraPass funds clean energy and efficiency projects such as wind farms, resulting in reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Your eco-friendly loved one will feel better the next time they fly, drive, or turn on the lights knowing that your gift offset their carbon footprint—the total carbon dioxide emitted from planes, cars, and electricity. You can purchase specific carbon-offset gifts for driving, flying, or staying at home, or you can buy a gift certificate so that the recipient can choose which part of their life they'd like to make a little more efficient. ($10 and up; www.terrapass.com)

But if reducing one's carbon footprint is already part of your collective lifestyle, consider a gift that relieves the needs of others in under-resourced, under-nourished, and under-privileged areas around the globe by purchasing a gift through World Vision's Alternative Gifts Program. With the money you'd spend on buying a CD or scarf, you can provide necessary tools and resources such as mosquito nets, livestock, vaccinations, and textbooks to needy communities around the world. Recipients will receive a card notifying them you've thoughtfully dedicated your gift—whether it be a goat, a pack of seeds, or a stove—to them. And here are some more brownie points: each gift in World Vision's catalogue was specifically requested by a community within their network, so you can be sure your gift will actually be put to good use. Now that's the real gift of giving. ($10 and up; www.greatgifts.org