Does anyone else think there is too much stuff in their life? For the past couple of years I have been on a quest to de-stuff myself. And no, this has nothing to do with over eating. I want to live simpler. I have been going through things in our house to see what I can recycle, donate, and if there is no way to do either, then yes, throw it away.
But, between Thanksgiving and New Years, there is this time of the gift. Planning the gifts, buying the gifts, wrapping the gifs, stressing over the gifts, etc… It’s that last one that really gets you though, stressing over the gifts. We all have people in our lives that we would like to show how much we appreciate them:
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the neighbor who watered your plants
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the coach/teacher who spent extra time with your kid
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the person who sent you business
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the colleague who drove you to work when your car was in the shop
So what do you get for the people on your list that you don’t know what to get?
How about a gift with a purpose!
Like I said at the beginning of this blog post, we all have so much stuff. Instead of getting more stuff, let’s make a difference!
One of my favorite organizations for making a difference is the Natural Resources Defense Council. The mission of the NRDC is to safeguard the Earth: its people its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Through their Save Biogems program you can give a gift that makes a positive impact on the world in which we live. They have gifts to protect polar bears, the wolves in Yellowstone park, and newborn whales, but my favorite one is to plant a rain forest tree. For $10, you can plant a tree in Costa Rican rain forest that is being restored. You can buy one tree or as many as you like. The NRDC will e-mail (or snail mail if you prefer) a beautiful certificate to your recipient to let them know a tree has been planted in their name.
This is a wonderful and simple gift to give to anyone on your list. Happy Shopping!
