Alternative Giving Year 'Round

Although we tend to think about Alternative Giving at Christmastime, let's consider it year 'round, at each holiday and rite of passage, such as weddings and birthdays.

Giving is at the heart of Simple Living, Voluntary Simplicity, Sustainability and Community. We remember God's continual gifts by giving to others. Given human nature and the commercialization of holidays and rites of passage, 'getting' sometimes seems more prominent than 'giving,' and giving to 'our own' sometimes has more importance than giving to 'the least of these.' It doesn't have to be that way. We can give in a way that honors Christ, expresses our love to our family and friends, and our concern for the Earth.

These Guidelines are designed to assist individuals, families or groups who want to be more intentional in their giving. The Guidelines are intended to be suggestive, not inclusive. In the end, each one of us will set the guidelines for your giving.

25% for charity? I can't afford that!

2. Try to have the initial discussion before the end of October. People are likely to be more receptive to new ways of giving if they have not already begun to plan for this Christmas. In the Christian calendar, Advent -- the four weeks before Christmas -- is a beginning of a new year.

Or give yourself a year a gather data, so that you have the basis for a long-range plan the following year. For example, begin talking, planning and gathering data in October, 2014, for fall/Advent 2015.

3. Ask each member to prepare an expense report on last year's celebrating, including Christmas. Set a time when you will all report back. Encourage the children to prepare reports as well.

4. When you come back together, combine the reports for all family members on the 'Alternative Christmas Cost/Analysis Form' below. Decide what aspects of commercialized celebrations you would like to change in the coming year.

5. Discuss taking 25% of last year's total and spend that on a birthday present for Jesus. You may want to take time to read Matthew 25:31 46 together and discuss the meaning of 'a birthday present for Jesus. ' Make a covenant on what is decided.

6. In addition to diverting 25% of what you spent last year toward organizations in your community or denomination that work for peace and justice, consider how you can become more involved as an individual, as a family or as a group. (See below.)

7. Go through the Guidelines and discuss what might be appropriate birthday gifts and appropriate gifts for family and friends. Add your own guidelines to the list.

Guidelines for Giving

Is there any doubt about what Jesus wants us to give him? He pointedly insists that in order to gift him, we must find him in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned.

Gifts of our time, skills and money to support ministries to 'the least of these' are the beginning points -- not the afterthoughts -- of gift giving. For example,

Giving our time for participation on a committee which ministers to 'the least of these' (local senior citizen lunch program, prison visitation, housing board etc.);

TIME to volunteer in a program or participate on a committee which serves the poor, the elderly, the homeless, the jobless, those in prison or in hospitals.

Giving your skills to the same kind of organizations (teaching cooking, auto repair, bookkeeping, etc. in programs for disadvantaged young people; or actually cooking, repairing, bookkeeping in some particular situation;

Giving financial support to programs of your denomination that minister to 'the least of these.'

MONEY to support programs in your denomination or community which help people in difficult situations.

NOTE: Not mentioned here are participation in and support for groups like PTA, Scouts, etc. which you may do for your family. That participation and support may be your gift to some family members. They are not, however, 'the least of these.'

Will you plan to spend in time, skills and money at least 25% of what you spent on last year's celebrations?

Warning: You probably do not have the time or money to do everything you have done before and add this on. These Alternative gifts may replace some of the time and money invested before.

2. PLAN YOUR GIFT GIVING! Consider the person, your own time, skills and money and PLAN your gift.

Suggestions:

AN ADDITIONAL RESOURCE
To Celebrate: Reshaping Holidays and Rites of Passage -- Alternative Celebrations Catalogue -- includes many ideas for alternative gifts as well as detailed discussion of what it means to 'buy with conscience.' Check your church or public library for a copy. Excerpts are available in the Archives of this site, as well as the complete Treasury of Celebrations, To Celebrate's successor.

3. GIVE YOURSELF! The giving of gifts is essential to the health of our society. The traditional purchase of gifts is essential only to our convenience and the store's profit. Giving a gift both affirms and strengthens a relationship. The highest form of giving is the giving of one's self:

COOK traditional foods like cookies and fruitcake or a personal specialty, such as bread or apple butter. Invite friends to share their family recipes;

SEW a simple pattern, then personalize it with embroidered initials or an appliqued design. Sew floor cushions, pillows, place mats or a rug to suit the recipient's taste. Sew soft toy or beanbags or puppets for a child;

TUNE up a friend's car, or offer other special mechanical expertise.

FRAME a favorite picture. Illuminate, Illustrate, embroider or silkscreen a passage or poem and then frame it;

RENEW an old possession. Make new clothes for a well-loved doll, rebind a tattered book, refinish a scarred chest or chair.

BUILD shelves, a spice rack, a window box, a bird house, a gerbil cage, a sand box, a doll house, a lamp, a set of blocks, a game, hundreds of things....

PLANT spring bulbs on pebbles or in a bulb glass to bloom in the middle of the winter. Plant a terrarium in an aquarium or large jar. Plant a windowsill herb garden;

STRING necklaces of seeds, beans, nuts, shells, Indian corn, spices or baked clay beads on dental floss. (Hard materials may have to soak overnight first.)

TEACH a language, how to play a musical instrument, swimming or tennis lessons.

POUR candles in milk cartons, cans, cardboard tubs, egg shells, jello molds or damp sand.

PHOTOGRAPH family members or friends. Make a collage or album us¬ing photographs of past Christmases, gatherings or spe¬cial times.

WRITE a history of your family (for family members) or a history of your friendship with a particular person. Include some old photos.

4. BUY WITH CONSCIENCE! We are not opposed to the purchase of gifts. We do believe that purchasing gifts requires careful thought. Consider these questions:

Does this gift reflect the values I want to share? What does it say about me and the person receiving my gift when I give

Does this gift encourage conservation rather than consumption? Does material from which the gift is made reflect abuse of the environment, or does the use of the gift abuse the environment? Any gift requiring the use of electricity (including non-rechargeable batteries) or gas should be purchased only after the most serious consideration.

Does this gift encourage passivity rather than activity; dependence rather than self-reliance?

Does this gift stimulate spiritual, mental or physical growth? What are your expectations? Giving to stimulate someone else's growth can be presumptuous, but between two people who care about each other, it is an act of love.

Who profits from my purchase of this gift? The purchase of hand-made gifts from craft groups (like those listed in the Alternative Giving list LINK) supports the preservation of traditional crafts and skills as well as the efforts of low income persons to become self reliant.

Family:

Spouse

Mother

Father

Son(s)

Daughter(s)

Brother(s)

Sister(s)

Grandmother(s)

Grandfather(s)

Grandchildren

Uncles

Aunts

Mother-in-law

Father-in-law

Brother-in-law

Sister-in -law

Nieces

Nephews

Others

Sub Total

Others:

Friends

Boss

Mail Carrier

Paper carrier

Dog, Cat, etc.

Others

Sub Total

2. Decorations

Tree

Tree Ornaments

House Decorations

Wrapping Paper

Ribbon and tape

Sub Total

3. Cards

Cards

Postage

Sub Total

4. Food

Dinner

Candy

Cookies, etc.

Special meals

Beverages

Sub Total

5. Travel Expenses for Shopping

6. New Clothes/Outfits

7. Other

Computation:

Add all Sub Totals

1. Gifts

Family

Others

2. Decorations

3. Cards

4. Food

5. Travel Expenses

6. Clothes

7. Other

Grand Total

Take 'Grand Total' and multiply by 25%.

Grand Total X 25% = _____ !!!

This is how much money we plan to divert to social causes this year.

The degree of involvement you choose in each of these areas depends upon what you have already done. If you aren't sure how you feel about the issues, you might want to learn about the background through personal or group study; or, arrange a firsthand experience by volunteering in a hospitality house or talking with a prisoner. If you have had some direct experience working in these areas, you may want to devote more time to studying the systemic dimensions of these problems. On the other hand, if you know a good deal about, say, the causes of world hunger, it may be important to work as a volunteer in a community kitchen. The significance of prayer and meditation should not be overlooked. It's easy to feel too busy to set aside quiet time; however, communication with God is a crucial source of strength and insight.

It will probably be helpful to choose a main focus for your commitment. You can work together as a family or a group by focusing on different aspects of a problem and sharing what you learn with each other. The issues represented here really cannot be categorized as neatly as our checklists may suggest. You will find that involvement in one of these areas will lead to involvement in the others.

Working For Peace

Working for Adequate Food and Shelter

Working to Help Prisoners

Working for a More Responsible Lifestyle

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