cosa verde, the online showcase for eco-friendly goods handmade by independent artists, is hosting a different kind of giveaway this holiday.

It’s been a tough year. We all could use a surprise right now. That’s why cosa verde is encouraging people to Give it Forward this holiday, and enter to win a gift to surprise a friend or loved one.  For the first ten days of December, three gifts handcrafted by cosa verde artists will be posted each day on the cosa verde blog.

You are invited to enter to win each gift not for yourself, but for a friend or loved one who you think could use a little pick-me-up. Enter with a comment on the item’s blog post explaining who you’d like to win the item for and why they deserve a surprise, and cosa verde will randomly select winners for each gift and mail them directly to your loved one with a note about how you had them in mind this holiday!

Hello Crafters—what do you think about holiday giveaways? Do you participate to help promote your work, or for a warm and fuzzy holiday feeling? Or both? What do you look for in this kind of promotion? Have you seen results in past years?