This is the season of giving. Whether you’re shopping for friends, family, or an unknown child in need of a toy, these four holiday events in Brooklyn have something for everyone.
1. Gifted: A Holiday Market | December 15-23 | brooklynflea.com
The best time to visit the Brooklyn Flea is around the holidays, when 1 Hanson Place will host more than 100 creative vendors peddling bike paintings, vintage clothing, wall decals, weird wares, old typewriters, bags, organic items, salsa, and everything in between.
How to get there: Take one of several trains–B/D/M/N/Q/R/2/3/4/—to Atlantic Ave./Pacific St. Head east on Atlantic Ave towards Fort Greene Pl, turn left onto Fort Greene Place, turn left onto Hanson Place.
2. A Holiday Bash for Haiti | December 5 | facebook.com
Emerging Artists Connect is hosting an art music party and Christmas toy drive for a Haiti Relief Organization HDGoodSamaritan.org. If you’re looking to give back this holiday, plan to stop by (with a teddy or two) Public Assembly in Brooklyn on Sunday, 7p.m.-11p.m.
How to get there: Take the L train to Bedford Ave. stop, then head southwest on Bedford towards N 6th St, turn right onto N 6th St and arrive at 70 N 6th St.
3. The Brooklyn Holiday Food Experiment | December 5 | offManhattan.com
Come for the chocolate stout cakes, drinks, and general merriment, knowing that a portion of your ticket to this annual feast will go towards Ovarian Cancer Research.
How to get there: Take the F train to Brooklyn. Exit 4th Avenue near 9th street. Walk North on 4th avenue towards 8th street. Turn left on 7th to the 149 7th St.
4. Brooklyn Kindergarten Society Yuletide Ball | December 11 | bksny.org
Drink eggnog and dance the night away for a wonderful cause—helping underprivileged kids in New York City get an education. Tickets for the black tie ball start at $150 and will be the best feel good purchase of 2010.
How to get there: Take the 2, 3, 4, 5, M, or R train, then walk just a short few blocks to the Heights Casino at 75 Montague Street.
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram