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 origami panda card is too adorable not to pick up from KittyKatKards’ Etsy shop. Be sure to send this sweet card to someone special on your Christmas card list this year!

$4.25

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!

I LOVE this print from artist Kristiana Parn available from ShanaLogic. It’s only $25.00, signed and dated by the artist, and absolutely adorable!

Only a few more days for you to vote on the newest panda cubby’s name! Here are your choices:

Fú Shèng (fu sheng): blissful San Diego
Xiao Lóng (siao long): little dragon
Xióng Wei (syong wei): extraordinary bear
Yang Xing (yong siang): eternally blessed
Yún Zi (yun zih): son of cloud

You can vote for your favorite at the San Diego Zoo’s website here.  Hurry! You only have until Tuesday November 3rd!

Here’s his cute little face for inspiration…I think he looks like an extraordinary bear!

I love this shirt from Big Cartel designed by the band MiMi Soya. It’s covered in pandas, but from a distance it just seems like a black and white pattern. And, at only £6.99 ($11.50 USD)  you can’t really beat the price!

Be sure to pick up this adorable corporate panda print (available from ShanaLogic) for only $12.00! Framed and matted, it’d make an adorable holiday gift for any panda lover in your life.

While I’m not planning on dressing up this Halloween (darn these hard economic times!) if you do, here’s a round up the panda costumes I’ve mentioned before:

Last year I did this post featuring a panda costume for every member of the family, and a few others throughout the year. Including a panda costume tee and a DIY panda costume pattern.

My favorite: this outfit from Trixie & Peanut. His face is priceless!

Made me smile!

source

It’s getting close to 100 days for our panda cubbie at the San Diego Zoo, and you k now what that means…a name! Here’s a post from the keepers at the San Diego Zoo:

At two months old, our male giant panda cub is doing well. Following Chinese tradition, the little guy will be bestowed a name after he is 100 days old. But what name?

Visitors to the San Diego Zoo will have an opportunity to name the cub. Beginning Saturday, October 10, through Monday, October 19, we are asking the community to visit the Giant Panda Research Station to suggest a name. The names should be in Chinese (Pinyin), have an English translation, be symbolic in meaning, and delivered in person to the panda exhibit October 10–19.

For those who cannot come to the Zoo during that time, we’ll also be offering a special link where you can submit your name suggestion, following the same naming criteria listed above. We’ll post that link as soon as it’s ready.

After this 10-day period, the Zoo’s giant panda team, comprised of keepers, veterinarians, scientists, and others, will choose several names from suggestions made by Zoo visitors. The Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association will then review the selected names. Once approved, the names will be posted on our Web site and on our Facebook page for a final vote by the global community.

Check the Panda Cam page for updates on when to vote online. The name that receives the most votes will be announced at a ceremony held at the Zoo on Tuesday, November 17, when the cub is 104 days old. We look forward to your name suggestions!

Awww, he looks so smug here! Too cute!