Virtually Fabulous Holiday Shopping ... Online!

This year, I found cute stuff on a gift site that is new to me — Red Envelope. I used to be a Vivre girl — their stuff is so fabulous. But then I ordered two small gifts, which were back-ordered several months; once they got in, they charged my account more than 30 times, froze my credit card — and the gift still hasn't been shipped. Note to e-tailers: We're just waiting for you to disappoint us. If you do, we're history, and don't even try hitting "refresh"!

If you want to combine charity with shopping ('tis the season for both!), turn to places like God's Love We Deliver, a terrific organization that prepares and delivers nutritious meals to people who are homebound because of serious illnesses like cancer and HIV/AIDS. They have a holiday fund-raising catalog that has amazing gifts ranging from a tub of chocolate-drizzled Caramel corn to a basket of brownies to some chic home stuff like an Amber Cassis Calvin Klein Candle for $50. Then there's Toms slippers, which matches a pair to a needy child to each pair sold online.

And, drumroll please. ... The U.N. Refugee Agency is where I did 90% of my "shopping" — everything from survival kits for badly malnourished children ($47) to all-season tents to shelter a family of five ($80) to paying a teacher for three months to bring education to refugee children ($210). As an immigrant, I realize how lucky I am to be in the United States and to be writing a column about "luxury online shopping." Giving this as my main gift is a way of showing my gratitude.

Someone recently told me that people are sometimes disappointed when they receive charitable gifts like this (sort of how we felt as kids when people would give us money vs. candy on Halloween). So I tried to take this into account, and I am giving this gift to those who, like me, will appreciate the spirit in which it's given.

Finally, there are the gifts at Autism Speaks, where Suzanne Wright and her colleagues have made really cute snowflake gift wrap and ribbon. So no matter what you're buying, you can still make a contribution to a worthwhile cause and, even more important, spread the spirit of the season.