Holiday Shopping Guide

ELM SHOES

3 Center Square | Greencastle, Pa. elmshoes.com | (866) ELM-SHOE elmshoes elmshoes

The holiday season is upon us and ELM Shoes is ready to help you give the perfect gift! One of our favorite gifts is a pair of "Darn Tough Socks." We carry a wide variety of different styles and colors! They are made in Vermont and, best of all, they have a lifetime guarantee! If you manage to wear a hole in these fabulous socks, we will replace them! We also carry a lovely selection of Hobo Bags. These ladies' handbags and wallets are crafted with hand-picked, buttery soft leathers and offer flawless functionality. One advantage of using ELM Shoes for your holiday shopping is that we keep a record of our customer's purchases. If an individual has bought footwear from us, we will most likely know what size they wear, if we don't, you can never go wrong with a gift card! Darn Tough Socks are made in Vermont from premium merino wool. We carry over 120 styles with an unconditional lifetime guarantee! $25

The Fern crossbody is crafted with handpicked, buttery soft leathers that increase with beauty as they age. This crossbody is perfect for keeping your essentials organized and by your side in style! $128

WASHINGTON COUNTY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS 401 Museum Drive | Hagerstown, Md. wcmfa.org | (301) 739-5727

Flatyz Candle

•Handmade flat candles •Unique gift, handmade, dripless, smokeless, scentless, self-extinguishing, steel base included, easy to mail •Find a variety of Flatyz Candle designs, including reproductions of famous artworks, at Washington

County Museum of Fine Arts gift shop.

$18.25

Museum Members receive a 10% discount on most shop items. Flatyz Candles measure 2.5 in. x 6 in. x .25 in.

ZELDA’S BOUTIQUE 1 N. Conococheague St. | Williamsport (301) 992-3989

Brighton Contempo Hoop Earrings

$36

GIVE BACK WHILE SHOPPING

courtesy of METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION

Opportunities for charitable giving abound. The most convenient way to give back may entail something people already do nearly every day: shop.

Supporting worthy causes and making a difference doesn't have to consume a lot of time or effort. Various nonprofit organizations have streamlined the process by working in conjunction with international, national and even local merchants. At point of service registers or when checking out online, consumers can allocate funds to worthy causes. Here are some examples of giving tied to retail. Amazon Smile

Amazon enables shoppers to follow a distinct link (https://smile.amazon.com) in order to directly donate to hundreds of charities. Simply designate a charity from the drop down menu and Amazon will donate 0.5 percent of the price of eligible purchases to your charity of choice. Collection jars

Visit any number of stores and you'll probably come across collection jars or bins for various charities. Some merchants may have collections for coats or gently used items that can be delivered to the needy. Others will ask if you want to purchase a new item from their stock to donate to worthy causes. One popular retail collection has been going strong for decades at McDonald's restaurants in support of Ronald McDonald House charities. Checkout charities Checkout charities are another METRO way that campaigns raise money. They come in various forms. Some require customers to purchase a paper card that is displayed at the store and then a donation is made to a particular charity, such as Children's Miracle Network or the ALS Foundation. Many stores, both national retailers and mom-and-pops, have round up charities that enable customers to round up their change to the nearest whole dollar on credit card transactions and donate the difference to the charity the store is assisting. Through the RoundUpApp, debit and credit card transactions provide a stream of recurring donations.

Checkout charities can highlight organizations people might never find on their own. However, they do not give potential donors a chance to research a charity's mission. Shoppers can conduct that research on their own as part of being responsible donors. — Places