How quickly did those last ten days go ? I'm not sure I'm going to like this countdown idea!
Last post we asked you to write your list - how did you go? I am pretty pleased actually I am a little further along than I thought.
If you have some blanks next to people's names perhaps you might like to look at some charity ideas. I have one friend who every year says don't buy me anything make a donation in my name - so I always do. She quite enjoys what I find :)I really should do this for more people. A quick google for { charity gift catalogues } will reveal a whole slew of organizations and ideas.
Here are a few to have a look at
for just $5 ( really the price of a coffee or a card!) Useful gifts offers the following options
School Supplies - $5.00As simple as A, B, C. Books, pencils and paper, or slate and chalk, that are part of a broader education program, gives the gift of learning to a child. |
Fish Farming - $5.00The one that didn't get away! Training in fish-pond construction, maintenance and fish farming will give a community their own source of nutritious fish to eat and sell. |
Chickens - $5.00Buck, buck, buck, buck, buck. Five bucks buys two chickens,
which will help a family with additional food and income from the eggs
they produce. |
Seeds - $5.00Help people reap what they sow! Provide someone with seeds to plant. They can watch the investment grow, and also learn how to save seeds for the next year's crop.
|
One of the nice things about these options is you can easily donate online and they all offer the option of an e card or a card you print yourself and if you like then you could add that to a more traditional gift.
This year the girls are going to decide on something to donate and then do enough "chores" to raise the money to make the donation.
When googling for these websites I also found this article by choice magazine cautioning about the best way to make donations.
If you aren't in a position to make a financial donation then perhaps consider donating some time. One of my favourite things to do around Christmas is gift wrapping for one of the many charities that run gift wrap stalls in the shopping centres.
via pinterest.com
I freely admit it's not all about the charity- I really enjoy it because I love to wrap presents. It's nice to chat to people the VAST majority are so lovely and you get to see all the cool things people are buying. I really missed doing this last year. I started wrapping for charity when I was about 15. In 2010 I wrapped for careflight at Robina and they raised $16,500. Many churches also run gift wrapping stalls. As the late night shopping kicks in there are so many shifts you'd be hard pressed not to find a time that suited you. I usually go with a girlfriend and we make a day of it with coffee and lunch before or after. Depending on how busy I am depends on how many shifts I volunteer for but I always do at least one - they usually are about 4 hours. A little closer to time the charity organisation will start calling for volunteers - when I sign up this year I'll pop the details up as a reminder. I can't wait till the girls are old enough to join me - they still don't quite have the neatness skills required.
Don't forget to pop over to Mel's blog she is sharing how her family gets involved with Operation shoebox each year.
Our next post will be on the 6/10 and we will get you organised for Gift Wrapping and Cards :)
Happy Christmas Countdown!
