Despite the dramatic financial forecasts each day, the social scene continues in full scale with many benefits – although streamlined to trim costs - taking place all over the area. Apparently, many of our caring and concerned neighbors realize that in such dire times, particularly for not-for-profits, generosity of spirit and good will is needed all the more.

Christy Turlington and daughter Grace with the Sugarplum Fairy at "The Nutcracker" benefit. Photos by Wire image

Of course, many of these events and parties were on the social calendars months before the nation's economy started sliding downhill on a bobsled. It is really refreshing and comforting to see folks standing tall.

In the last few weeks in our own backyard, Laraine Gordon's annual holiday event to benefit her marvelous "Time for Teens" programs was held at Kathie Russo's North Haven home, and Cooper's Beach was swarmed with Polar Bear plungers raising over $75,000 for the ever vigilant Human Resources of the Hamptons.

In New York, Hamptonites Cristina Greeven Cuomo, Alexandra Lebenthal and Heather Mnuchin hosted a special Saturday afternoon performance of George Balanchine's "The Nutcracker" to benefit the New York City Ballet's educational programs and the scholarship fund for the American Ballet Theater School - training the world's next dance stars.

The stunning performance is always a crowd pleaser, especially for the tykes, and was followed by an after-party at the David I. Koch Theater during which characters from the ballet, in full costume, mingled with the crowd. The children were delighted to see the Sugarplum Fairy and her cavalier face to face. Other East End regulars buzzed around the room giving hugs and holiday greetings to each other including Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, Christy Turlington, Jann Wenner, Gwenyth Paltrow with her mother Blythe Danner, Jessica Seinfeld and Julia Koch.

While purchasing a ticket for one of these events can be as little as $50 to $100, many move into the hundreds and up category leaving many folks on the sidelines who would like to help. There are numerous ways that one can give a gift that gives back, especially at this time of year.

Dancer Tom Gold with Jessica Seinfeld and her daughter Sascha at "The Nutcracker" benefit.

When I started prepping my Christmas gift list, I kept running up against the same problem: What to get my friends who have pretty much everything they need and do not always appreciate my keenly developed sense of fashion?

After perusing a catalog which called itself, The Most Important Gift Catalog in the World (no it wasn't Neiman-Marcus), I finally came up with the best solution to my conundrum - I'll buy each of them a dozen chicks, or maybe a share in a pig or a llama, better yet a hive of bees. No I'm not off my rocker. I simply came across an extraordinary organization called Heifer International which has been around since 1944.

Heifer International works on a variation of the simple premise of "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach him to fish, you feed him for life." In this case, you can buy a flock of chicks for $20 for a family from Cameroon to the Caribbean and add nourishing, life-sustaining protein to their inadequate diets. A good hen can lay up to 200 eggs a year - plenty to eat and leftovers to sell. Since chickens can feed on available food scraps and don't need a lot of space, families can make money from the birds without any real financial burden.

What could be a better gift to a friend - another present that gathers dust on the shelf - or a donation in their name that multiples every day and helps a struggling family? Heifer International offers you the choice to buy a goat for $120 or simply a share in a goat for $10; a trio of rabbits for $660 or a $10 share - and we all know about bunnies multiplying or how about $30 worth of honeybees. From El Salvador to Uganda, Heifer International helps struggling families earn real income through the sale of honey, beeswax and pollen.

Gwyneth Paltrow with daughter Apple and mother Blythe Danner at "The Nutcracker" benefit.

This year I have already purchased two flocks of chicks, shares in a water buffalo, llama and a pig, as well as several hives, for family members and friends. And I did it online! You can also be an international philanthropist by ordering at www.heifer.org/catalog.

If your personal vision is not so global and you would like to keep your giving closer to home, there are scores of charities in our area that impact on our daily lives who are in dire straits as both corporate and individual support from well to do folks has dwindled.

On a more local level in Hamptons Bays, there is an unusual shop on the second floor at Hamlet Green, World Village Fair Trade Market which was opened in 2003 by a group of parishioners from St. Rosalie's Church down the road. As its name implies, the products sold are from over 25 developing countries and the producers of the products have been guaranteed a fair price for their labor.

An outgrowth of the non-denominational organization Sobernost for the World Foundation, which has made a commitment to help AIDS orphans in Kenya and Zambia with programs that provide financial support for their food, housing, education, and school supplies, the store is completely supported by volunteers and gives 100 percent of its profits to help the orphans.

The tiny shop offers literally hundreds of items - food products, clothing, jewelry, crafts and gifts all made under Fair Trade practice where workers are assured proper compensation for their labors. The Fair Trade Movement is an international network of producers, importers, retailers and consumers, which enables people in the developing world to sell products at a price that allows them to live in dignity and to support themselves and their families.

These may well be the most important gifts you could give. Happy Holidays and Good Shopping!