 Close your eyes and recall your fondest holiday memories.
Chances are, they surround the experiences you had with the people you love.
Now let me ask you this – do you remember what you got as a gift that year, what you wore or what your house looked like?
As parents, we can get drawn into the Martha Stewart vision of the holidays: perfectly crisp table linens, perfectly crisp apple pie and perfectly crisply dressed children.
But how to break the habit of perfection that is so ingrained?
Start by using our mantra, “more meaning, less stuff” while preparing for the season (be it for décor, gifts, food or activities).
You might just find that the season will shed itself of the stress, waste and expense of years past.
meaningful giving:
When buying gifts for your friends and loved ones, consider giving gifts of yourself – of your time and talent. Write a song, clean some gutters, offer to make a meal a month. Gifts such as these need no wrapping and will create memories that last.
What to give as gifts if our gift-of-yourself idea won’t work for you? Give to charitable organizations in the name of your loved ones. Doing so is a gift to the recipient, the organization, the people they help and to you. (Studies show that philanthropy activates the same pleasure center in the brain as making love, so give often and give big!)
Some of our favorite, gift-worthy non-profits working to help raise generations of healthy children in a healthy world, include:
If you’d like your recipient to choose their own favorite from among 250 non-profits, visit www.tisbest.com where you can purchase a gift card in virtual form or made of recycled plastic. Even design it yourself.
Want more ideas on creating meaningful, sustainable holidays? Check out www.CelebrateGreen.NET.
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