A couple of weeks ago DH got his panties in a bunch and decided that the kids needed to clean their rooms and get rid of any toys, books and sports stuff they don’t play with any more. As is typical of him, he didn’t choose to begin this worthy project on a Saturday morning, oh no. He got the kids all geared up and wound up with the promise of buckets full of garage sale money that they could spend any way they wanted to on a Thursday night. At 8:30 pm. On a school night. A half hour before their bedtime totally sweeping away the usual bedtime rituals of reading and practicing their instruments (I’m pretty sure they didn’t even brush their teeth that night either).
The next day, he rode my case for me to do the same thing. I couldn’t be too grumpy about as the house was starting to have that over stuffed, can’t-find-a-place-to-put-it feeling again. And I have to admit it felt good getting rid of stuff and reorganizing with the thought that Christmas is just around the corner and we will undoubtedly come home with bags of more stuff to find a place to put.
For several years now my mom has requested that in lieu of a gift we donate to a charity in her name. We were quick to jump on this as it had the added advantage of giving to those less fortunate while not having to scour the stores searching in vain for something she already has 3 of. After spending several hours de-cluttering my own closets and drawers I’m thinking she has the right of it. This year I’m asking for donations to a few of my favorite charities instead of a snowman sweater with flashing light eyes, yet another toaster or a vase so ugly I have to leave it next to the edge of the counter in the perfect spot where it will for sure get knocked over and broken by Monkey Boy.
Here are my favorites (the links are in the names):
Heifer International- ‘The gifts in this catalog represent some of the livestock and training that we use to help families achieve self-reliance. They provide a steady supply of nutrition in the form of products like eggs and milk… and a dependable source of income from the sale of products like wool, honey and produce.’ You can give the gift of a Heifer (cow) for $500 or a share of one for $50. A goat is $120 or a share of one is $10. You can gift sheep, chickens, llamas, trees, bees, water buffaloes, pigs, ducks & geese, rabbits or even an Ark (2 cows, 2 sheep… you get the idea). Gifts range from $10 to $5,000 and your recipient can receive a beautiful gift card that explains Heifer’s mission and lets the honoree know that, in their name, you’ve given the gift of self-reliance to a struggling family. If you order on-line, you can print your gift card yourself and save Heifer the postage. This has been one of my mom’s favorites for years.
The TreePeople- ‘TreePeople is a nonprofit organization that has been serving the Los Angeles area for over three decades. Simply put, our work is about helping nature heal our cities.’ TreePeople has sent out a call to action to help restore the San Bernardino National Forest which was hard hit by fires in the last couple of years. If you can’t give a monetary donation but still want to help, they are looking for volunteers to plant trees. Wouldn’t that be a fun family outing? Gifts range from $25 to $100 and include a personalized gift card for your honoree. This was the first organization my mom asked for gifts from, it’s still one of my favorites.
Orvis- From Alaska to Yellowstone to Cambodia Orvis (a catalog company that sells some nifty outdoorsy gifts and gadgets) has joined with with several organizations such as The World Wildlife Federation, The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, The Conservation Fund and Coastal Conservation Association to raise money for toward their efforts to conserve the environment. They not only educate their customers on the need for environmental improvement but have a dedicated page on their website dedicated to these causes, Orvis will also match any contributions you make through their website. So if you donate $50 to help save the Indo-Chinese tigers of Cambodia Orvis automatically doubles it to $100!!! They also have a gift registry where you can select the items you want to be given and email it to your friends. Your gift honoree will receive notice of a gift donation in their name.
Operation Smile- This is the first time Operation Smile has had a gift catalog ‘where you’ll find life-changing gifts that will bring smiles to suffering children and joy to everyone on your holiday shopping list. From toys and blankets for our young patients awaiting surgery, to medicines and supplies needed to complete cleft lip or cleft palate surgeries. Every gift transforms a life.’ You can give the gift of feeding bottles for one baby for $20, a post-op care package for one child $30, one bottle of anesthetic solution $270 or stock an OR for 2 missions $1,000 and every price range in between. For every item you order, you’ll receive a customized gift card to present to each person you’re honoring.This has long been a favorite charity of mine and I’m glad to see they have created a catalog to make giving the gift of a new smile so easy to give. What amazed me the most was how little some of these items cost, yet there are children in other countries whose families cannot afford this surgery.
Subaru- Yeah, a car. Now through January 2, 2009 when you buy a car from them Subaru will donate $250 to your choice of five charities such as Habitat For Humanity, The ASPCA, The National Wildlife Foundation, Meals on Wheels or The Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Oh and I checked, Subaru has several fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. ‘Subaru offers the most fuel efficient All-Wheel Drive vehicle lineup in America. Subaru also offers Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) certified Legacy, Outback, and Forester models which are available for sale anywhere in the U.S. Subaru PZEV vehicles meet California’s Super-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle exhaust emission standard.’ They not only create environmentally friendly vehicles but… ‘Consider this: When you carry out your trash at home on the next collection day, you’ll be sending more trash to landfills than the entire Subaru manufacturing plant in Lafayette, Indiana. The Subaru plant was the first auto assembly plant to achieve zero landfill status – nothing from its manufacturing efforts goes into a landfill. It’s all reused and recycled.’ WOW! I’m impressed. I think my next car might have to be a Subaru.
I know I may have missed some so let me know which charitable organizations you like to give to and happy non-shopping!
My bloggy friend Rhonda has researched some gifts that give for those who love horses, check out her blog at http://thehorseyset.net/1106/holiday-shopping-with-equine-charity-gift-shops/
Beth, your husband does have energy to burn. Like most men I know, when they want to get something done around the house, they like to get everyone involved. We need to clean two places– the office and the garage. Problem is, no one wants their stuff thrown out.
Your gift suggestions are wonderful. When you buy something, money goes to charity organizations.
Here’s a little window in my house. It’s 11 pm on a weeknight. He says, “Let me show you something.” It’s how to work something on the computer. At that hour, I’m too tired to learn anything new.
The charitable donation gift is a great idea. A similar situation was played as for laughs in “Will & Grace” a few years ago, but times have changed.
Kathleen-
I only wish I had control over when and how he burns it!
Rhonda-
I know these non-gift gifts won’t be popular with everyone (my in-laws would be insulted if they didn’t have a gift to unwrap, they’re of the quantity over quality variety), but its a nice way to get people to think of others at the holidays especially children. Last year my mom bought the boys an “adopted” tiger. They got a photo of their tiger and a certificate. They loved it and it taught them a valuable lesson.