Great Idea for Giving This Holiday Season

Here's a holiday tradition my family has adopted the past few years that I wanted to share with you all:

1. We get the Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog (looks like the preceeding link is broken -- see comment below -- so I'm adding this link to their home page until they get it sorted out) mailed to us every October.

2. We decide how much we want to contribute as a family, then divide the amount equally so each person gets to give the same amount.

3. Individually, we each look through the catalog and decide how we want to "spend" (give) our money.

4. When we're all done, we then look through what each other has selected and talk about it a bit.

5. Then I fill out the order form and send in our check.

It's been a nice holiday tradition for us and starts the season off right -- thinking about how fortunate we are and taking some action to help those in need.

If you're looking for a project (or a few) to give to this year, check out the Samaritan's Purse Gift Catalog.

FYI, a few of my favorite gifts:

• Giving clean water

• Stock fish ponds

• Helping farmers feed their families

Comments

[Lucy A.]

If you have contact information for the people above, their server has corrupted memory and is erroring.

[Laura]

Thanks for posting this. SP is one of my favorite charities, and I love giving through their catalog. If you'd like, you can have them send cards to your loved ones telling them what was provided in their honor.

[Derek]

This sounds like a great tradition! As an FYI, I am currently running a contest on my eMomsAtHome Dad Balance blog to give away 5 copies of a book/journal intended to capture your family traditions. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on my post. This book is a great way to capture traditions like this so they can be passed on and remembered for years to come.

[Jo]

Thanks for the idea. My friend and I actually do something charitable rather than get each other gifts. We have been doing it since college. It's great, because what we really want to do is get together, so the christmas gifts were just a reason. Now charity is our reason!!

I will have to pass this on to my roommate, her family and her were just talking about starting a new tradition. This might work for them!!

[MaryE]

Thanks for the wonderful idea.

[Darren Mullenix]

On behalf of Franklin Graham, thank you for your continued support of Samaritan's Purse. Thank you also for posting this information on your blog.

Darren Mullenix
Donor Ministries
Samaritan's Purse