Don't Enrich Charity Cheaters

I usually don't give money to the people who sit outside grocery stores claiming they are working for a worthy cause. Unfortunately, many of these people represent fake organizations, often just keeping the money for themselves.

Sometimes I give money, or buy a meal, for hungry street beggars, especially women who appear homeless. These people are straightforward about the fact that they are asking for help for themselves, so I know exactly where my money is going.

Still Shopping?

It hardly seems as though another year has passed, but here we are, in the midst of the holiday gifting season, roaming the malls or browsing the Web, looking for ideas.

Over the years, I have radically cut back on the number of gifts I give and receive. Most of the time I don't need more stuff, and the people I know usually don't need more stuff, either. One year I wrote a letter to my extended family, letting them know that Hubby and I would no longer be participating in the annual gift exchange. I'm sure they were relieved. We certainly were.

One More Gift

The holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate our capacity for compassion and generosity. Family gatherings, parties, gifts, time spent together – all these express our love and appreciation for family and friends. Now is also the time to express ourselves at an even higher level, by sharing some of our resources with others.

Don't Give Bad Christmas Gifts

A Google search for "Bad Christmas presents" turns up results that are hilarious, sad, enraging, incredible, and -- for some -- all too familiar.

The gift you choose for your mate sends a message. Make it a message of love!

Before choosing a gift, ask yourself how it is likely to be viewed by the recipient. Will this be welcomed as an expression of good will, or will it look like a thinly-veiled criticism? Will the gift you choose say that you put some loving thought into it, or will it be something so generic it could have come from a stranger? Will it show that you understand your partner's desires, or will it appear that you don't really know anything about them?

Last-Minute Gifts

Of course, we are generous and helpful all year long. Even so, the routines and demands of daily life tend to take up too much of our time and thoughts, so that we may be inclined to forget just how kind and giving we really are. The holidays bring the joys of generosity to the forefront of our consciousness.

After expressing our love and appreciation with gifts for the people we know, we have the opportunity to express ourselves at an even higher level, by sharing a little of what we have with those we may never know.