Whether you need gift ideas for friends and family, or you want to give back to those less fortunate, here are four timely ideas:
I. A number of commercial vendors have teamed up with charities in “Give Back Box” programs. They make it easy to donate goods you no longer use and also be a little more green by recycling packing boxes in which your newer purchases arrived.
Here’s a link to a Give Back Box program for Goodwill Industries: https://www.goodwill.org/givebackbox/ And here’s another Give Back Box program: https://www.givebackbox.com
II. If you have a handbag, tote of dop kit you no longer use, turn it into a toiletry kit for the homeless. Fill it with new essentials such as soap, wipes, tissues, comb, brush, toothpaste and toothbrush. Give it to a homeless person, either directly, or through an organization like Search.
III. Consider giving children and adults educational toys and games. A few years ago, I bought a game called “Chronology” from Shop PBS for a friend in my game group. It soon became one of our group’s favorites.
And if you think the kids won’t like educational gifts, consider this: the BBC recently reported that more young people were watching Planet Earth 2 than “reality” TV.
IV. I bet every one of you can think of a friend or two who’d like one of my books, Love on the Rocks with a Twist—Delightful Fiction with Lessons on Dealing with Others or Bridges to Consensus. And to make it even better, I’ve reduced prices just in time for your holiday shopping.
And won’t you Love it when the friends and relatives to whom you give a book start dealing with you in a more bridge-building manner?
Happy shopping!
Really great ideas, Margaret. I recently “recycled” ten lovely angels that have been gracing a special little tree in my home for many Christmases. I packed them lovingly, each into its own little bag, and gave them to friends that I lunch with every month. Giving them was a pleasure, and I could see that they were well received, even if my friends pass them along to someone else. Like me, they are probably slimming down their Christmas decorating these days. Anyway, thanks for the great ideas.
I’m so glad you liked the ideas, Chris. I bet your friends thought you were an angel too.