Looking to give more than just JUNK from a big box store this year? Give a gift FROM THE HEART... your time, talents, or love to your family & friends! here are some ideas to kick off the creative process from the Simplify the Holidays Pledge from The Center for the New American Dream! For more information on Simplifying the Holidays, check out Beyond Comsumerism.
GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME by creating
your own gift card for a service (e.g., babysitting, carwashing, petsitting,
chores, making dinner, organizing an outing).
GIVE A HANDMADE GIFT like a
memoir of cherished memories with that person, a book of family recipes, a
collage of pictures and mementos, or a calendar filled with the birthdays and
anniversaries of friends and family.
OFFER TO TEACH A SKILL YOU
POSSESS (e.g., knitting, photography, computer skills, financial planning, a
foreign language, music lessons, canning tomatoes, cooking a favorite recipe).
CONSIDER LESS GIMMICKY, LESS
COMMERCIAL GIFTS for children, such as arts/crafts supplies, books, a
magnifying glass, or building blocks.
CREATE A PAPERLESS HOLIDAY LETTER
on the computer and email it to friends and family.
HAVE A WHITE ELEPHANT PARTY at
the office instead of a traditional gift exchange, where each person brings a
wrapped secondhand item in good condition.
DRAW NAMES IN YOUR FAMILY FOR GIFT-GIVING
(for extra fun and surprise, make it "Secret Santas"), so that you
can put more time and thought into one gift instead of having to give to
several people.
SHOP FOR USED ITEMS for all or
most of your holiday gifts (e.g., local thrift store, Craigslist, Freecycle,
used products on Amazon or eBay).
SHARE THE GIFT OF MUSIC by
caroling, and include visits to elderly neighbors or a nursing home. Or, gather
friends and family for an in-home holiday sing-a-long.
GIVE BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY by
preparing care packages for the homeless, or volunteering at an organization to
help those in need during the holiday season.
ADOPT A "LESS IS MORE"
ATTITUDE toward holiday decorating. Opt for natural trimmings such as clippings
from local evergreens and holly bushes.
SAVE PAPER by wrapping gifts in
newspaper comics, junk mail, paper bags decorated with markers, old maps, phone
books, or other reused paper.
PREPARE YOUR HOLIDAY MEALS with
as many seasonal, locally grown, and/or organic foods as possible.
REDUCE JUNK MAIL by removing your
name from mailing lists of unwanted holiday catalogs.
