Gift

Across the nation, consumers snapped up TVs, toys and other mass-produced goodies last week, as the holiday shopping season expanded into "Black Thursday" (aka Thanksgiving). But closer to home, authors, artists and musicians have been toiling over works that, given as gifts, are more apt to say, "Baltimore pride" than "Doorbuster special!" In the spirit of local enterprise, we've rounded up locally themed gift ideas that sample the offerings this year from Baltimore's arts and culture scene.

If you make it though Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, you have Green Monday to look forward to. That's what Sotto Sopra is calling its Nov. 26 dining promotion, where customers will be able to convert expired dining coupons or gift certificates into 30 percent savings. Only one expired certificate is needed per table to qualify for the 30 percent discount, which applies to dinner tabs of $100 or more. Here's the thing - they don't even have to be expired Sotto Sopra gift certificates or coupons.

One of the factors of the San Diego Chargers limping into Sunday's contest against the Ravens with a 4-6 record is the hosts' inability to protect the football. The Chargers have turned the ball over 22 times this season, which is tied with the New York Jets for the fourth-worst mark in the NFL. Only the Kansas City Chiefs (31 turnovers), Philadelphia Eagles (24) and Dallas Cowboys (23) have more turnovers. That would seem to play to the strength of the Ravens, who rank sixth in the league in takeaways with 21. But outside linebacker Terrell Suggs said he's not expecting San Diego to gift-wrap Sunday's game.

This time of year, "thankfulness" and "gratitude" are terms folks throw around so much that they almost become greeting card platitudes. Maybe people mean it, maybe they don't. Doctors have linked the concept of gratitude to inner peace, even physical well-being. It's at least true that there are people quietly living with real thankfulness, though they might not use that word. It's just life lived, something that warms them from the inside and maybe helps them sleep through the night.

From Liz Atwood: Call me a party-pooper, but I make it a habit never to shop on Black Friday. It isn't so much that I hate the crowds, but that I almost never know what I want to buy for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. I can never understand those folks who do their Christmas shopping in the summer and have it all wrapped by Halloween. I have only started to think about what I want to buy. I was scouring the websites to find out the hot toys for tweens this year and I'm reminded of the old saying "There's nothing new under the sun. "  It seems the Easy Bake Oven, which has been around since I was a kid, is still popular.

Why stop at "Made in the USA" when you could have "Made in Maryland"? A group that advocates for local manufacturers is hoping that folks shopping for Christmas, Hanukkah or other upcoming holidays will opt for gifts with that distinction. The Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland has launched a Made in Maryland gift guide , urging residents to "buy local this year. " "There's a lot of truly unique things," said Mike Galiazzo, president of the institute, which isn't charging for inclusion on the list.

Washington Downtown Holiday Market You'll find some unusual gifts at this year's Downtown Holiday Market, which features products from over 180 artisans and crafters. Browse through houseware, jewelry, paintings, clothes and crafts from around the world, offered at 60 exhibits each day. There will also be live music and entertainment while you shop, as well as food vendors including Shake Shack and Alexa's Empanadas. The market is in front of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.

Mitt Romney has told top donors that President Barack Obama won re-election because he gave gifts to targeted groups ("Obama's 'gifts' to voters fueled his victory, Romney says," Nov. 15). Mr. Romney would have denied these groups college loans, Planned Parenthood, the right to abortions and health care. An affluent country like the U.S.A. should be able to offer universal health care to its citizens. America lags behind Canada, the U.K. and much of Europe. President Obama is not bestowing "gifts" on anyone.

Loyola has received a $1 million gift to be used for improvements to Reitz Arena. The donation from Jim Forbes, a 1980 Loyola grad, and his wife Hollis, will be used for enhanced scoreboards and new signage through the Greyhounds' basketball and volleyball facility. The basketball court will ultimately be named Forbes Court. “I am extraordinarily grateful for the Forbeses' generosity, which will play a pivotal role in our overall progress as we work to achieve critical goals for athletics in the University's strategic plan,” Loyola president Rev. Brian F. Linnane, S.J., said in a news release.

Angelica Fagan, 8, has a crystal-clear memory of the shoebox full of gifts she received when she lived at a Philippine orphanage with her two younger brothers. "She said it was the only Christmas present she had ever received, and she remembered everything that was in it," said Lauren Fagan, who adopted the three siblings 18 months ago. The Parkville family is filling boxes this year for other needy children around the world, as part of Operation Christmas Child, a 19-year-old international charity that expects to mail its 100 millionth shoebox of gifts overseas this season.