Holiday giving

We all feel the burden of conflict in the holidays in which we deplore the materialism and evacuation of deep meaning, yet we do want to show our love and appreciation in a special season of giving.

Here are some notes from a blog with a few good ideas on how to leave at peace with both impulses from our conscience. (There are more suggestions in the article itself)

clipped from moneyandvalues.blogspot.com Holiday Gifting: 14 Ways to Give More Meaning and Less Stuff ... so much meaningless stuff It's bad for the environment, it's stressful to have extra clutter in the house, and it emphasizes material objects as the way to show people you care about them. Here are a wide variety of different approaches: Give to fewer people In a family circle or a group of friends, you can pull names out of a hat so that everyone gets and gives one gift each, rather than shopping for everyone. Give to a good cause Give donations in others' names: Give non-"stuff" gifts Give experiences From tickets to concerts, movies, and plays, to admission (one-time or yearlong) to museums, national parks, and theme parks, to spa visits Give favors: From babysitting to cooking to back massages to crafting lessons, offering your skills and assistance Give food and drink items: eventually they're used up, leaving less clutter and less waste. Give better stuff Give fair trade, organic, recycled, sweatshop-free, green, non-corporate, etc