You might have noticed the poll I put on the right side of this page about charitable contributions as alternatives for Christmas gifts. So far everyone that responded has said they would prefer this type of gift to something material. There are a lot of days left until Christmas, so please vote because I am really curious about what people think! It's anonymous, and even if it wasn't, I wouldn't judge you based on your answer. :)
This idea was introduced to me when I discovered a website a couple of years ago called Buy Nothing Christmas. I like this idea. Think of the people you buy gifts for, your friends and family. For many of them, if you're like me, you struggle to come up with something to give them because they have everything they need and a lot of what they want. Why not give them the gift of a charitable donation in their name to one of their favorite charities? Or something you put a lot of heart and only a little money into, like their favorite cookies or a craft? I haven't done a Christmas like this yet, primarily because I always procrastinate and then I run out of time to be creative. That's when you find me at Target and the mall. And I probably never will do a Christmas when I truly buy nothing, because I absolutely love gift giving, and even if I craft every last gift I would have to buy a lot of supplies. But I really love the idea of giving to a worthy charity at least for a part of a loved one's gift. I know I'll always end up buying things, and I'm sure most people will, but the idea of a "buy-nothing-Christmas" has got me thinking about how I can be more creative and thoughtful with how I give gifts, especially on the day we celebrate Christ's birth. If you have any ideas to share of how you've given gifts that are: 1.creative 2. frugal 3. unique, please share those ideas!
I'll be sharing some posts in the upcoming weeks about some of the charitable organizations that I think are impressive. I'd also love to hear who you like. In the meantime, speaking of charity, this website (WARNING: includes near-nudity) is quite funny if you are familiar with the Product(RED) campaign. Please know that I absolutely don't think there is anything wrong with the Gap or Dell or whoever giving a part of their proceeds to charity. I just like buy(LESS) for their tongue-in-cheek take on it.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A gift of charity
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6 comments:
I completely agree that donating is a fabulous idea. My grandparents are those people that have everything they need and don't want more "stuff," so last year I made a donation to the Foundation Fighting Blindness for my grandparents on my mom's side (my grandpa has Macular Degeneration and another eye problem that I can never remember the name of that have caused him to become legally blind), and the American Cancer Society for my grandparents on my Dad's side, in honor of my Aunt Gloria who passed away the year before from cancer. I think those donations meant a lot more to them than anything I could have bought. I'll probably do the same thing this year, but maybe with different charities.
This last Christmas, my parents donated to a charitable cause to feed the hungry in Africa in our family's name. They gave us a card saying that we had donated a cow for a family to have milk by the amount of money my parents contributed. I LOVED IT and the card was funny because as we in America live so well off, who would think to give a cow to a family? Ha! Sorry, I don't recall the organization though.
Sarah, that is very cool! I love when organizations make a way for you to do something specific, like give someone livestock. There are a couple of prominent organizations that specialize in that, which are Heifer International and one of my personal faves, World Vision.
IJM just sent out an email with a link to their gift giving campaign: http://www.ijm.org/holidaygiftcatalog. They also use the idea of giving something tangible...a day of aftercare, a week of investigations.
As a lover of giving gifts, I've tried the World Vision gifts one Christmas for my family, which went alright paired with one small tangible gift as well. This year I've also found some great fair trade things for the loved ladies in my life. TogetherWeCanDoSomething.com
It's a jewelry business, made by Ugandan women, from recycled magazines...and they really are beautiful!
CharityChoice is a great organization who works to provide for those in need. During the Holidays, Charity Gift Cards make great business gifts for friends or family members, or are great for corporate gifts as well!
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