Christmas is just around the corner which means Christmas shopping is in full swing! If you’re like most of us, you probably have one (or more) recipients on your list who are really hard to shop for. Maybe they have everything, or are just hard to please. Or maybe they insist they don’t want/need anything…and they actually mean it! Whatever the reason, consider mixing it up a bit and giving a donation in their name!

When possible, to make the gift more hands-on, sit down with the recipient and let them pick something out from a catalog/site such as Food for the Hungry or World Vision.

Can you imagine how neat this would be to do with the whole family? Tell them what amount you’d like to spend and then let them help decide what to buy. There are so many ways to assist those who are in need!

Wouldn’t it be fun to casually mention how you gave your in-laws a goat for Christmas?

Maybe you’d like to say you presented a foot pump to Grandma?

Or how you gave fruit trees instead of a fruit basket?

Maybe clean water instead of a bottle of wine?

What about the gift of an education?

Or a vocation?

The chance for a new beginning?

Or maybe a gift that could have an eternal impact?

No matter what you give, I hope and pray that your Christmas is filled with family, friends, joy, peace, and a deeper realization of what the Christmas season is about.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! -Jenn