Cut back on Christmas! (Give to charity instead)

[Ballsssssss]

How much do you spend on Christmas presents? How often do you get people what they REALLY want, or need? Christmas has become nothing more than an exchange of money between family and friends and does nothing but make the banks (racking up lines of credit), credit card companies (racking up credit cards), and large corporations (can you say Wal Mart?) richer.

For the last couple years my family has been giving to charity on each others behalf instead of buying presents and I think it's a bout time more people started thinking seriously about doing the same. How much do Canadians spend on xmas presents every year? If ten million households spend $200 (conservative estimate) that's 2 BILLION bucks. What if everyone cut their xmas spending by half and gave the other half to charity? $1, 000, 000, 000 to charity might start to make a difference.

We have won the lottery by being born into the society that we live in and most of us take it for granted or ignore what life is like for the other 80% of the world's population. Give something back!

Bah Humbug,

Ballssssssss

PS - A couple facebook groups in the same theme: http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/g ... 9894423156

http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/g ... 8814818771

[Guido]

Right on, buddy! I'm so tired of the consumerism and bullshit that goes on at Christmas. I've been doing the same for the last couple of years and you can even do fun things with it - for instance, last year I "bought" my brother a chicken that went to a family that was trying to start a farm in Africa...

[Topspin]

Right on, buddy! I'm so tired of the consumerism and bullshit that goes on at Christmas. I've been doing the same for the last couple of years and you can even do fun things with it - for instance, last year I "bought" my brother a chicken that went to a family that was trying to start a farm in Africa...

Wow, you are much nicer than me. Last christmas I bought my brother a fish in a bag. I agree about the consumeristic bullshit though. Case in point is Iphones & people paying $120/month for data plans. I think North American cell phone providers will be the last ones to file chapter 11.

[BigB]

Guido,

Just out of curiosity, how much did this "chicken" cost you?

[chipmunk]

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/

[Hedley]

Rather than giving money to charity at Christmas,
I would recommend that you give the money to
the government as voluntary taxation, because I
am told the government knows how to spend our
money better than we do.

[Guido]

Guido,

Just out of curiosity, how much did this "chicken" cost you?

I'm not sure anymore - probably in the $10-15 range - it's obviously not strictly the price of a chicken (I'm sure if I went to a farm here and bought one it would only be a few bucks), but I'd bet 95% of the money goes to the family. This was through the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church of Canada... one of the most efficient charitable funds that I know of. Way better than World Vision or its many equivalents...

/chipmunk, yeah that's basically the same thing! Here're the chickens that they do: http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.2667525/

[iflyforpie]

We do the Operation Christmas Child every year. My kids are old enough now (2 and 4) that they understand about giving to kids who don't have much. We let them pick out all the toys and they don't even have a problem putting it into a box and sending it away

Another good one we've given to in the past is World Vision. We buy gifts in the names of our relations to children in third world countries, either to our sponsor children or to others. It's amazing the reaction you get and it kind of puts in perspective the waste and materialism of our society.

[Colibri]

I remember watching the news last Christmas and they said that the average household will spend approximately $700 on gifts during the holidays... makes you think.

[iflyforpie]

In Alberta it was $1500 last Christmas.

[niss]

I agree, Christmas is way to consumerized........ That is why I don't buy anyone christmas gifts.

Thank god for Hannuka Presents.

[lilfssister]

One of the last presents my (close relative) opened on their last Christmas was "three little pigs" for a needy family in Haiti. Brought them to tears. For those that have all the "things" they could possibly need, there is no better gift!

[Changes in Latitudes]

I am giving everyone on my list a donation in their honour to the HUMAN FUND. Look into that if interested.

[xsbank]

Donkeys, outhouses, school desks, schools, goats, books, wells - all of this is for sale at OXFAM.

[Siddley Hawker]

World Vision is one of the NGO's that's into giving the chickens and pigs. Google them. A couple of hens and a rooster is around $50.00, and three piglets will run about $150.00 if I remember correctly.

[Driving Rain]

What's wrong with you people? Your going to ruin the economy... wait ... never mind.