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I was asked to write about 10 Great Holiday Gifts for Spiritual People. Then I had to figure out who, exactly, was that spiritual person. I decided that was someone who would value content over form, meaning over monetary value. Some of the holiday gifts I suggest are explicitly Christian in nature, but most are not. That is because spirituality at the holidays is not limited to observing Christians. When the holidays are doing their magic, there is a big and wonderful spirit that settles in. We all have felt it at least once in our lives – a spirit of giving and human connectedness that emerges full-blown from the heart. It is in the hope of sparking and spreading that spirit that I suggest the following…..
1. The gift of charity – This is the obvious one. But being obvious does not mean it isn’t a splendid idea. Donate in your friend’s name. Choose a charity that you know is dear to her or him. Habitat for Humanity as we all know by now, builds homes for people in need The Heifer Projectgives animals to people all around the world to promote sustainable advances in their lives. Buy a flock of geese, a hive of bees, a pig, llama, heifer, or a grove of trees in your friend’s name. The Grameen Project in Bangladesh gives microloans to women and men from the lowest levels of poverty in order to help them self-employ their way up. Amnesty International is a strong voice against torture and political imprisonment. The Southern Poverty Law Center is in the thick of the fight against hate crimes with education and legal action. There are a jillion charities that you can select for a donation. These can even be used as business gifts. I am a consultant and buy my largest clients a gift each year. One year I gave donated llamas from Heifer International. Both men were thrilled – neither needed another fancy pen set.
2. Mommies: Speaking of charity – this is a great time of year to sit with your children and your spouse to decide what charities the family will target for this year. A friend of mine does this with her sons each year. She is a single Mom, and resources are tight. So she saves all the appeals she gets each year, and right around Christmas they discuss each one and decide which will get their family’s attention for the next year. It is a great lesson-in-giving-and-responsibility, and establishes giving as a family priority.
3. Reallocate your gift giving dollars. Let’s say you and your friend would normally spend $25 each on each other for Christmas. That gives you a pool of $50. Here are some fun things to do with it.
a. Decide who you know who is needy and will receive it as an anonymous gift. Put it in cash and leave it for the person to discover. Never ever ever ever tell anyone that you have done this. Let it be a secret that you share. The person getting the gift must never know or guess who sent it.
b. Go together to a thrift store and buy $50 worth of warm clothing. Combine it with good cast-offs from your own homes. Go together to a woman’s shelter and donate the clothes. I did this once; and when I told the thrift shop woman at St Vincent de Paul what we were doing, she was so happy that she filled up my car to the brim with warm coats for only 50 dollars.
c. Shop for 50 dollars worth of food for a food pantry and volunteer there for a day with your friend.
4. Get off the gift grid. Tell your friend that you love her/him and that neither of you needs to prove it with a gift at Christmas. I once said this to a number of my friends, all of whom agreed. , “We know we love each other. I would like our gift to be removal from the Holiday Stress List. Let’s remember each other’s birthdays, but let’s skip the material gift at Christmas.”
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