Trump card
This year, forget the cheesy Hallmark seal and send original holiday cards made by the kids at Lawrence Hall, a nonprofit that helps abused and neglected children by providing them with homes, therapy and education services. Customize your message or leave the card blank inside; the cheery illustrations speak for themselves. Available at lawrencehall.org; $1 per card.

Bahhh-humbug
If you don’t want to give another useless tchotchke or gadget to a pal, that doesn’t make you a Scrooge. Oxfam America helps impoverished people in 26 countries by offering the goods they need most, including trees, blankets, water purifiers and, our favorite, sheep. Purchase a gift in your friends’ names, and they receive a card with a picture of the present while the purchase goes to those truly in need across the globe. Available at oxfamamericaunwrapped.com; sheep $45.

Photo: Gift tag, Nicole Radja; Illustration: Nadine Nakanishi

Give them a hand
Instead of making a donation in the name of your family and friends, show them how much you care by performing a volunteer service. Check our list of dozens of volunteer organizations in need, then send your nearest and dearest this card, also available online in a printer-friendly format.

The sky’s the limit
The kids at Blue Sky Inn bake a damn good muffin (really, we’ve tried it). The organization helps at-risk and homeless teens by employing them in a baked-goods and catering business. The org then sells the delicious treats the youths whip up, from banana muffins with mascarpone icing, white-chocolate-macadamia-nut cookies and cranberry-whole-wheat scones to a variety of sandwiches and side dishes. Enjoy them at your holiday party, or send some as a tasty gift. Available by calling 773-710-7346 or e-mail orders@blueskyinn.org; breakfast $2, lunch $9, dessert $2, all orders have a $5 delivery fee.

Make a bee-line
Chicago Honey Co-op, a 100-hive bee farm in Lawndale employs low-income and homeless people to manufacture its delicious honey products. Pick up a delicious present on Honey Co-op’s website, which offers jars of the natural sweetener, a variety of candles and skin-care products. Sweet deal. Available at chicagohoneycoop.com; $4–$45.