Christmas Giving

Christmas for me is about giving. I love buying the right present for family members and close friends. I like to bake goods to give away. This is also the time of year that I make a charitable donation. This year, I will give a cash donation and also goods (children's clothes, shoes and bedding) to our local women's refuge.

Do you make a charitable donation at Christmas? To who, and why?

12 years ago

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11 replies

Latest reply was from londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Louise

Veteran

We usually give to charities that have personal meaning to us. Previous years we've done Alzheimer's (grandad is a sufferer), cats protection league (cat lovers) and cancer research (other grandad died from cancer) to name but a few. This year we'll donate to the cleft lip and palette association as my cousins baby daughter was born with a cleft lip and palette and is just beginning the long journey to repair it x

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That's lovely, Fi. Bless your heart.

We donate to four animal welfare organizations monthly, and triple the donation amount in Dec.

12 years ago

Refugee

Veteran

I do regular giving through my employers giving campaign to our local theatre. My special December giving is to make sure I donate blood. My sisters birthday is this month and she suffered from a long illness that required lots of blood over the course of 13 years. I want to make sure it is there for others who need it and it is a memorial I know she would appreciate.

12 years ago

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Veteran

This is such a lovely thread.

Giving blood is a wonderful idea and something that I had not thought of. My grandfather was a frequent donor of blood.

12 years ago

Carla

Veteran

We donate to the food bank regularly, and a large cash donation in December. Also, CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) and the Guide Dog program. DS #2 was a client in elementary school and his early teens due to impaired vision (no sight in one eye, and corrected vision in sighted eye) when we were trying to assess the impact of his vision impairment and get a little extra help in school. Otherwise he is in robust good health and now doing great in uni. Nursing yr 3!! DH is a dog guy (labs) so the Guide Dog program was a given.

Also, Science Scholarship, and some smaller gifts to other charities.

I'm at 48 blood donations, and DS #2 also donates. Our family wardrobe culls go to Diabetes Clothesline.

DH volunteers with Special Olympics.

There are so many really good charities, and it isn't hard to find one with resonance to adopt.

12 years ago

MsMary

Veteran

I donate throughout the year to the Cambodian Children's Fund (I sponsor a lovely young college student), our local theatre organization, and various other causes. I also save up during the year so I can do special gifts during the winter holidays. This year so far I have given to our local food bank and to Wikipedia. Still thinking about where to give the rest of the fund this year.

12 years ago

Anonymous

Gifts of donating are very common in my family. Years ago I asked that my Christmas gift be sponsorship of a child through Christian Foundation of Children and Aging. Over the years I've put a Sri Lankan girl through school and helped rid her of parasites, improved the family home and food and improved health and home and food rations for a grandmother in rural Guatemala. That dear woman recently died and I have a new sponsorship of another older widow.
DS have me a Kiva gift certificate a few years ago and I have really enjoyed "investing" in people around the world and reinvest whatbis repaid. I give to Best Friends animal shelter for my sister who has spent time working there. I can't even remember all the wonderful donations my sister has given in my name. I like to remember my parents with gifts to organizations that protect birds, American Indian reservation schools and the MS Society, all which were important to them.
This year my DIL, who is on the board of a group dedicated to helping women around the world will get a donation to her group. We also give and receive gift donations for The Heifer Project.
It seems a great way to give a meaningful gift instead of stuff.

12 years ago

D'Ellen

Veteran

Several years ago my and DH's family/friends group decided to stop giving each other holiday gifts in favor of making charitable contributions. Each year DH and I make a Christmas gift to our local Salvation Army, with additional donations to organizations such as Canine Companions for Independence, The Heifer Project and Teaching Tolerance. We find it a very meaningful way to honor the spirit of the season.

12 years ago

Anonymous

I split my payroll deduction between 5 charities, some are local, some are from my home town and I also donate to the local United Way as DH is part of the corporate financial team.

I gave to the women's shelter that my work team volunteered at. dd has requested a donation to a local family that her English class is sponsoring and DS has a school campaign for Christmas cheer (food and new toys). We also give to the Slavation Army kettle whenever I see it. Finally, DD and DH help pack hampers for needy families...whew that seems like a lot reading it back

12 years ago

Echo

Veteran

I regularly donate both food items and money to our local food bank. Before Thanksgiving and before Christmas I donate a frozen turkey and all the fixings in the hopes of making someone's holidays a little brighter. In December and in July, I donate to Heifer International. And I always donate a new winter coat and gloves and mittens when our community's school has its Warm Winter drive.

12 years ago

londonkiwi (now back in NZ)

Veteran

The turkey idea is amazing! So is the idea of Kiva vouchers.

12 years ago

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