The Real Spirit of Christmas

There's a voracious vibe hanging in the air. Eyes flicker with the sentiment of more! more! more! It must be Christmas time. It's difficult to uncover the real, charitable focus of the season under all the materialism but you can find it if you decide not to be distracted by all the other nonsense. I don't enjoy shopping at all but I do get a kick out of choosing gifts from my favorite charities.  Instead of trolling through aisles filled with plastic doodads and electronic gadgets, I browsed through vaccines, mosquito nets and water kits for children all over the world. The Unicief  Inspired Gift program allows you to purchase these life-saving supplies on behalf of a friend or family member. They also get a card with a photo and description of the gift. I also perused chickens, rabbits, pigs and goats for the perfect present. Women in war torn countries learn to rebuild their lives through animal husbandry, farming and work initiatives provided by Women For Women International.. The Gifts That Give Back program supplies women with gifts of animals, farming tools, and education to help them become self-sufficient.  My mom's not a huge fan of animals but she'll like the rabbit that I gave in her honor. In light of the natural disasters that have been hitting all over the planet, I like to make donations to Doctors Without Borders to help out. Their Tribute Donations program allows you to commemorate the holiday or other special occasion with a tribute letter mailed to your person of honor. So if you're still stuck with a gift list at this point, please consider these ideas that capture the real spirit of Christmas.