non-traditional christmas gifts

my grandmother has a miserable combination of dementia and alzheimer's. there are some days when one part of her memory is off and other days when her brain is affected by the other disease. it's rough going. she doesn't know who i am. if she gets something new, she does not understand what is happening. she will usually declare that it is not hers and promptly give it to someone else. in her mind, everyday she eats new things because she can't remember ever eating it before. she meets new people...everyone including her family is a stranger. some days my grandpa is still alive and is just out running errands. those days are great ones. 

i love my grandmother and i remember her heart and mind the way she used to be. if you haven't read it yet, read "my life in quilts" to know a piece of my life where my grandmother is concerned. 

i want to honor her at christmas but i know that regular gift giving is out of the question. my husband's grandmother is suffering in a similar way so traditional gifts for her have become difficult. to find a ways to both honor our grandmothers and perpetuate their heritage, i'm giving them the gift of giving and donating in their names to some of my favorite charities. this is perfect for someone for whom a traditional gift is no longer feasible. beyond that, it is something i'm doing for my kids as well. let's face it...our kids probably get enough gifts at christmas to last the year through. i can certainly substitute one of their toys for food for a child somewhere else in the world to keep them from starving. again, even at their little ages, they are filled consumed with "first world problems". i'll take any opportunity possible to start to change their world focus.

in case you are looking for something non-traditional to give for christmas, here are my favorite charities to support, not only at christmas but the whole year through.

compassion international

my husband and i both sponsored kids with compassion before we were married. since then we have continued that tradition together. we have pictures of our little sponsored kids on the refrigerator and my kids ask about them all the time. they are surrogate members of our family. for $38.00 a month, you can give a little one a better chance to live without struggling for basic necessities. there are so many kids that need help.  sponsorship can start during christmas and continue the whole year through. 

www.compassioninternational.com.

world help

this organization has so many ways to give. you can buy school uniforms, wheelchairs, clean water, food, animals, bibles, anything that suits your desire to give. visit their "gifts of hope" link for dozens of great ideas. looking for something unique for your family? they also have a link to buy gifts created in third world countries to support their local incomes. it's a win for everyone involved.

www.goh.worldhelp.net

for unique christmas gifts from third world countries:

http://goh.worldhelp.net/category/merchandise/

samaritan's purse

i love samaritan's purse. i love their "operation christmas child." we participate in giving the christmas boxes every year and i love involving my kids in the shopping and stuffing for other children. beyond the christmas boxes, samaritan's purse offers dozens of other cool christmas gifts. buy hot meals, milk, fruit trees, build a house, and everything in between. if you have the means, you can even pay to fly a child to receive heart surgery. their line up of gifts is extensive. find something to give to honor a loved one today.

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

heifer international

these are great for christmas because it is a simple, one time gift. give a flock of chicks for $20.00. rabbits, honeybees, geese, a piece of a cow, anything could help a family survive and thrive for years to come. 

www.heifer.org/gift

whichever way you choose to give, you cannot go wrong when you think of others and remember how privileged we are. we are so blessed. christmas is a great time to take time to bless others and to teach our children to do the same. my grandmother was a generous giver. this is the perfect way to honor her legacy. how about you? do you have someone you could honor today?

friday fun finds: perfect gifts for the person who has everything

i don't know about you, but i always have someone on my gift list that is exceptionally hard to buy for. i have heard of beer, wine and cigar of-the-month clubs.....but this is the first i have stumbled upon a beauty product of-the-month club. not only do i think that it is the *perfect* gift for the gal on your list that is hard to shop for, but I want them for myself as well (of course). enjoy!

new beauty test tube

every 3 months, test tube subscribers will receive four different exciting tubes filled with 10 deluxe samples of the latest and best beauty products. the value of the samples you’ll receive will always significantly exceed the subscription price. you will be charged $29.95 (plus $8.95 for shipping and handling) as each new test tube is sent to you. not only do you get to try many fun products, you will also receive the new beauty magazine and a $20 gift card to spend at spalook.com

i personally received a test tube in the mail and am *in love* with many of the products and know that i will be purchasing several in the near future. what a great gift to give yourself or someone at the holidays.

glossybox

glossybox is delivered to your door monthly in a beautiful pale pink box and is filled with 5 high-end samples of fabulous beauty products. it is a fantastic way to try new products on the market as well as timeless classics. the cost is £10.00 per month (plus shipping and handling) and not only do they have a monthly box for women, but they now have introduced a quarterly version for the men in your life as well. 


i think both options are swoon worthy and simply divine. stop going to the malls during this insane time of year and treat your gift list to a tube or a box of beauty.....i pinkie promise that you won't be sorry you did.

christmas traditions

december first is tomorrow and already we've started moving into the holiday season. i don't know about you, but i grew up in a house where each holiday was celebrated with gusto. we had green cookies for st. patrick's day, made ridiculous amounts of valentines for valentine's day and christmas, well, there was no comparison.

having kids of my own, i wanted to start some traditions that would become a part of their christmas celebrations. here are five we've adopted over the years. we'll continue sharing our ideas (and some we've borrowed from friends of ours) over then next couple of weeks. if you have amazing christmas traditions you would love to share, let us know. we'd love to do another post featuring your best ideas.

the elf on the shelf: this little wonder is pure genius. he "hides" all over the house and watches little boys and girls to report back to santa. i only wish he could stick around all year long!

the elf on the shelf

christmas cookies: my kids and i make a ton of christmas treats and cookies over a weekend in december and then deliver them to friends and neighbors nearby. my kids love to be a part of this process and it teaches them a bit about giving during this holiday season. check out our mmmmm, mondays this month for some great christmas treats.

sibling gift giving: along the same lines as the christmas cookies, my kids are a part of shopping for christmas. i didn't like how christmas had become a day all about "i want" lists. so, they are now fully a part of the shopping process. each of the kids gets one special present from their siblings. the kids have to help pick out the present, help wrap it and usually work on a card for their sibling. surprisingly, the kids are usually more excited about seeing their brother or sister open their gift to them than they are about opening some of the presents of their own.

gifts for parents: this same principle continues as they shop for their parents. each child gets a $10.00 budget to buy something for their each of their parents. the hope is that at some point, they will use their own money to purchase these gifts. mind you, these gifts may be pretty random and you'll have to put on your best academy award winning performances come christmas morning but the kids love to be a part of the shopping for christmas gifts for their mom and dad. it's also pretty amazing to see them get excited about something besides receiving.

operation christmas child/angel trees/other charity: we as a family do something for those less fortunate each christmas. we love operation christmas child and the kids are always a part of putting together the shoe boxes to send to needy kids in foreign countries. operation christmas child has online shipping payments as well where you can register your christmas box and then follow it on it's journey to another country. this is an amazing opportunity to show your children how fortunate they are and to put things in perspective. there's nothing like packing up a bar of soap and a toothbrush to give your children some perspective. angel trees can be found in various locations and you can adopt a family member or just purchase a gift for someone in your own community who has some extra needs this holiday season. regardless, check these charities out.

operation christmas child

angel tree

happy christmas preparations. we know this time of the year can be crazy and full of activity. we hope this gives you some ideas for making the season memorable for you and your family.