Emma Fawcett reports
Christmas just isn't Christmas anymore. Americans are rethinking the holiday season: for the first time, Americans donated more money to charitable organizations last year than they spent on holiday gifts, and this new trend is predicted to continue. Most of this giving takes place between Thanksgiving and December 31 — making it a crucial time for both nonprofit organizations and American families with financial decisions to make.
According to a Gallup Poll taken this week, Americans plan to spend $730 on Christmas gifts this year — a staggering amount, especially given that shoppers tend to blow their budgets. Gregg Easterbrook, a writer featured on beliefnet.com, suggests a Half and Half Holiday: Americans should donate half of their normal holiday budget to a good cause, and spend just half on Christmas or Chanukah gifts. Easterbrook promises a more joyful holiday season — one free from the worry and guilt associated with receiving mounds of presents, the expectations of holiday bills arriving through the spring, and attempting to outdo one's friends, family, and colleagues in finding the perfect gift. Beliefnet.com calculated the charitable contributions Americans could make with the $794 they planned to spend on holiday gifts in 2001. An American family could purchase 26 bee hives for hungry families to feed themselves and become self-reliant through the Heifer Project, or donate 26 dress-up costumes to Discovery Arts which helps children in hospitals enjoy drama, music, and art, or donate one artificial limb to land mine victims through the Land Mine Survivors Network. Bill McKillben, another columnist, suggests a One Hundred Dollar Christmas: he and his family spend only $100 each holiday season, steering clear of overcrowded malls and the commercial frenzy and bringing Christmas back to the basics.
Should you opt for a more traditional — and more expensive — approach to the holiday shopping season, there are still plenty of ways to remember the less fortunate. Many non-profit organizations encourage their donors to do holiday shopping online at www.igive.com. A portion of every purchase goes to the shopper's favorite cause — at no extra cost to the shopper or the charitable organization. Thanks in part to double donations from some merchants, shoppers have raised over $1,500 for their favorite local causes. A list of 570 stores are a part of the igive.com family, including Barnes and Noble, Sports Authority, Brookstone, Proflowers, KB Toys, Dell, Lands End, Office Max, and Petco. eBay’s Giving Works program allows sellers to donate the proceeds from their items to their chosen non-profit organization, with the help of MissionFish.
The holiday season also presents a number of unique volunteering opportunities. The Sidewalk Santa program offers assistance to homeless families, veterans, the elderly and the disabled during the holidays and beyond, helping them to live independently. The Holiday Project, a grassroots movement, encourages Americans to spend the holidays visiting those living in institutions (hospitals, nursing homes, etc.), as these people are so often alone on some of the most special days of the year. Operation Christmas Child, a program run through Samaritan’s Purse, encourages donors to pack shoeboxes full of small gifts for disadvantaged children living throughout the world. The Salvation Army offers two hour shifts as bell ringers in their Christmas kettle campaign. Meal serving opportunities abound at local places of worship, soup kitchens, and community centers. Even holiday greeting cards can benefit charity — the National Audubon Society, UNICEF, and City Meals on Wheels all print cards where proceeds are donated to their organization.
By turning the holiday season into one of giving, the opportunities to make a difference abound.
