Sorry for such a long time between updates lately. Apparently graduate school is more time consuming than I imagined!

Anyway, here’s hoping you all a lovely Christmas (or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah or Festivus or whateveras!)

Of course, what’s the holidays without a little charitable giving?! Here are a few opportunities to give gifts to your friends and families while helping out the pandas you adore, as well!

The Atlanta Zoo launched a campaign to help raise money to help their pandas stay at the zoo. The money will fund another 5 year loan agreement with China. Go here to donate. You can even donate in honor of someone as a gift!

Adopt the newest US panda cub – Yun Zi from the San Diego Zoo! This special, one-time $50, $100, or $1,000 panda cub adoption package comes with a Yún Z? adoption certificate, Giant Panda Cub Adopt Fact Sheet, Yún Z? photo, and a panda plush. Adopt here!

The National Zoo has several ways to help pandas. You can donate to the Giant Panda Conservation Fund (here),  or you can adopt a giant panda through their website (here).

To celebrate the National Zoo’s role in giant panda conservation, FONZ is offering a special $65 Adopt a Giant Panda package for the holidays (through January 15, 2010). This package makes a great gift for a special someone and shows your support for the conservation of this endangered species. Your donation will help fund exhibit improvement, equipment, and medical care for the National Zoo’s pandas and the 2,000 other animals that live at the Zoo and its Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

The Memphis Zoo also allows you to ‘adopt’ their pandas for little as $25! Be sure to check out the details here.

This adorable panda pillow is available from ShanaLogic for only $18.00! (She has a ton of great panda items lately, be sure to do a quick search when you visit the site!)  My favorite part is the cute little pink paws!

Pandas International is offering this adorable panda valentine package for a donation of only $25.00.

If When you order, you get a lovely panda valentine card and a cute plush panda with red ribbon. A perfect valentine for the panda lover in your life!

The National Zoo has these limited edition panda totes available for sale. Keep in mind they’re recycled nylon rice sacks and they’re limited edition when you hear the prices…

The small tote is $82.00

The larger tote is $127.00

VERY cute, environmentally friendly…worth the price? That’s up to you!

When I visited the National Zoo for Tai Shan’s first birthday (Years ago! Gosh, it’s been a long time!) I bought one of these cute little plastic bowls for my best friend’s daughter. She LOVES it and still uses it today. It’s been through many, many dishwashing cycles so it’s faded, but still very cute.

Get your little one a cute little panda bowls at the National Zoo’s Shop for only $4.00!

These adorable panda earrings are available from ShanaLogic for only $10.00! Not only will you get a cute pair of earrings, you’ll feel good about supporting independent artists AND for knowing that 5% of your ShanaLogic purchase goes towards helping pandas because I’m an affiliate. Why wouldn’t you buy them?!

Get yours here.

If I wasn’t in the midst of finals and graduation during the time that this WWF trip is scheduled (May 4 – May 17, 2009), I would definitely be saving up for it – it looks so fun!

Not only do you get to tour all the best parts of China, you get to spend three days with the pandas! I think the $5,890 they’re booking this for is extremely reasonable – especially for a 2 week vacation, don’t you?

So jealous. Some day I will have enough money and time to go to China. *Sigh*

Check out  the trip brochure here.

Sorry about the delay. I’ve been having internet connection issues. I’ll catch up on posting tomorrow!

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far!

Julie

(On sale at the San Diego Zoo shop!)

Look at this adorable cookie jar available from the National Zoo shop! I LOVE it! It’s available for $37.99, and for how cute it is – that’s a bargin! They didn’t have a larger picture, but you can definitely see the adorableness at this size, too.

I know these are for kids, but I totally want them.

I’m a dork.

Available from Amazon.com for only $12.95.