This year, I cannot bring myself to buy the generic gifts one gets for people when you don't know what they want. It's one thing to enjoy pleasing someone with the perfect gift. But it's another thing as soon as we start to say "I can't think of what to get". It just seems like such a waste. So I'm going on strike. I'm opting out of the obligatory gift game, and refusing to purchase this stuff. No more sentimental wall plaques. No more cute candles. No gizmos and gadgets. No holiday themed sweaters.
Some of my friends are getting a book that I really like, and I think they will really like it too. Some of my friends are getting homemade cookies.
Some of my friends are getting things I know they are interested in.
But for everyone else... I'm making targeted donations in their name to World Vision [click on ways to give/gift catalog].
I'm taking a huge delight in choosing things that I think are appropriate to the person I'm trying to honor. Are they interested in helping children? In the poor? In conservation? In making people self-sufficient? In sending Bibles to other countries? In growing food? In healthcare? In victims of war? There are so many choices. You can donate as little as $10 to send a hygene kit, or $16,500, to build a health clinic.
So many of my friends and relatives will be getting cards instead of gifts. And the cards will say:
You are a part of bringing hope to the world! A life-changing gift has
been given in your name to bring joy to a corner of our world that
deperately
needs to know others care. Thank you for being a part of the
miracle of helping
children and families in need!Ten Ducks: Throughout the year, a hungry family will benefit
from more than a thousand large, protein-rich eggs from the 10 ducks given in
your name through World Visioin. The extra eggs and hatched ducklings can be
sold to buy medicine or help pay for children's school tuition.
Or
Wonder Trees: An eco-friendly "wonder tree," given in your name through World Vision, will soon be enriching the soil of a struggling farmer in Zimbabwe or another African country -- potentially increasing his crop yield by more than 500 percent! That means abundant crops and more food for hungry people for years to come.
Or
Drip irrigation kit:In drought-prone regions of Africa, it's essential that each drop of precious water is put to good use. That's exactly what the smart drip irrigat6ion system does. Given in your name through World Vision, this gift maximizes the use of available water, resulting in higher-yielding crops and healthy livestock.
Or
Care for girl survivors of war: Thousands of girls in countries like Uganda are abducted by militants who abuse them or force them to serve as soldiers. Those who escape face a difficult road to recovery. Thanks to this gift given in your name through World Vision, one girl survivor will be empowered to make a fresh start! She'll receive assistance like food, medical care, trauma counseling and vocational training.
Or my favorite! A splurge, but I've really been wanting to order this anyway:
A camel: The gift of a hardworking camel, given in your name through World vision, will dramatically improve life for a poor desert-dwelling family. Able to carry up to 1,000 pounds, travel five days without food or water, and supply nutritious milk, a camel is like a refrigerator and an SUV with a 40-year life span.
Try it! Instead of buying those fuzzy slippers with a santa face on them, or a singing stuffed reindeer, consider a charitable donation. What's the worst that can happen? If the recipient really is offended at not getting a gift, you won't exchange gifts at all next year, and your gift list will gradually get shorter.
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