No Wrapping Needed

The stresses of Christmas will set in for most people in the next week or two, but try not to get wrapped up (pun intended! in it. To cut down on the time you'd normally spend going from store to store to store (which for Laila and I, includes starting a vehicle and letting it warm up first - easily adding 20 min to an already hectic shopping trip), consider going online to check out some fabulous websites.

Try giving a gift that doesn't require shopping, doesn't require shipping, and doesn't require wrapping. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? It's not. Give the gift of a donation or your time.

This year we are gifting the following organizations:

1) Central Asia Institute, which is an international aid organization that supports education (especially for girls) in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you educate a girl, you will eventually educate an entire community. The book Three Cups of Tea explains everything in great detail.

If you haven't read it yet, you absolutely must. It's about "One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time". If you insist on giving an actual, physical gift, give this book. Give it to a friend, family member, your child's school, or the local college or university. In my opinion, it should be a required read for every single person, especially those in developed countries.

2)  I love the Heifer organization.  For as little as $10 you can give a share of a pig.  That's right - you read p-i-g.  (I am using the pig for an example, simply because it's the most cost effective item for a family on a tight budget.) 

Photo from Heifer.org
Heifer offers a variety of animals that are 'purchased', and are given to families in developing countries.  These animals are gifts that keep on giving.  The pig, for example, provides income when the families sell the offspring.  Its manure provides an ideal fertilizer for their crops, and when butchered, it provides protein for the family.  Self-reliance is an incredible gift for a struggling family, and it comes at such a low cost to us.

If you are making a donation instead of giving a physical gift to a friend, simply hand write a note to the recipient stating that you've made a donation in their name.  I dare say that anyone would be happy to receive a gift like these.

3)  Laila has been blogging about 29 Gifts and how to give of yourself.    I'm going to take her idea and run with it (but not too far!).

Call a local hospital or nursing home to ask if you can visit with patients and residents.  If you're permitted to do so, take your kids and give someone the gift of your time.  Having worked in a nursing home, I can tell you that many, many seniors don't have visitors for months at a time - especially around the holidays.  They ache for your time and simple conversation.  If you're uncomfortable but willing to try it, mention to them that you only have a few minutes - they will be happy with whatever time you're able to devote to them. I'll bet not a single one of them would reminisce about the gifts they received in their lifetime, but I would bet that you'd hear stories of their lives - their families and friends. After all, isn't that what our lives should be about?

Shovel your elderly neighbor's sidewalk (or rake their lawn, or weed their flower bed).

Photo Credit
If you have a thrift store that benefits a charity, considering volunteering for an afternoon.  Make a call and offer to go in and sort clothes or arrange knick knacks or stock shelves.

There is no need to let the stress in this year. Whether you give a donation or your time, I promise you that this small action you take will put Christmas (and maybe your life) back into perspective. None of these gifts need to be wrapped, making them perfectly eco-friendly, and none of them are overly time consuming.  But, they do all have two  things in common - they are free, and they benefit many people, including yourself. 

I'm interested in learning what your favorite charities are, and how you give of your time.