I usually do my holiday shopping early. I do not like the crowded malls and inefficient parking lots during this season, so I get most of it done before November. Not this year, for some reason I didn't even start until a few days ago. Maybe it's because I've decided to try a new approach.

One of my friends suggested something a few weeks ago that really made sense. She said that in response to the current economic climate, she thinks that our gifts to each other should be either home grown, hand made, or recycled. I really like that idea. I don't think she's talking about regifting either. What I think she means is that we should try to make gifts out of recycled materials or stuff that we grow in our yards.

While I don't believe that I will be able to follow that approach to a T in every instance (especially for my children,) I'm trying to do it as much as possible. I will also embrace the old fashioned tradition of baking goodies for gifts.

Some other ideas came to mind as I've been preparing to shower my family and friends and neighbors with love and caring in the form of gifts.

If you buy something from a fundraiser and give it as a gift it not only pleases the recipient, but helps the group from whom you've bought it as well. After all, if it's the thought that counts, these thoughts count extra.

And then there's the old adage, "Buy local." Purchase your gifts from local retailers and merchants. I bought some beautiful ceramic pieces made by a local artist at a craft fair earlier this month. That's a great way to support the local economy.

I love to give gifts. I enjoy choosing them and giving them and making people happy. But in the middle of an ever growing pervasive materialism that seems to put a damper on the good will that accompanies this act of kindness, it helps alleviate my ambivalence to find a way to give gifts that promote good will and caring to all people.

Do you have any suggestions?

This entry was posted on Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 12:36 pm and is filed under 1. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.