Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
Do you dread the greediness of the upcoming holiday season?
Even if your own children are not too greedy with their wish list this Christmas, are you looking for a way to avoid accumulating too much stuff?
If your house is full to the brim and you are looking for ways to make this holiday more meaningful maybe you should try to encourage your children, spouse, and yourself to give away at least one item in exchange for every gift that they receive. In a time when many Americans have so much charities that pick up donations are collecting items for for the families in this country who do not have enough. Consider some of these meaningful exchanges for possible gifts this year.
- Technology items are always a popular gift request this time of year. Challenge your family members to give away one toy or book for every new piece of technology that they receive. Charities that pick up donations would love to have gently used toys and books to share with military families who are just struggling to get by.
- Radial tires that will make your jeep get around even better can be a gift that you trade for unused or duplicate car tools.
- Any new piece of clothing that you receive can be traded for an older piece of clothing that you never wear any more.
- Do you have a new cell phone on a list of gifts that you are buying for the holidays? Instead of keeping the older unused phones in a drawer, give them to women’s shelters. These locations provide phones to women who need a new phone number to stay safe.
- Ice skates are a great holiday gift if you make sure that you make charitable donations of other unused sporting goods that are in your closet and garage.
- New shoes can be swapped for older shoes in closets that have either been out grown or simply are not worn any more.
- Getting a new winter coat is a perfect time for donating older, gently used clothes to charities that pick up donations. Winter is a perfect time to go through your closets and give warm items to organizations that pick up donations for those families who are in need.
- Toys are popular items for young children. Get them in the habit of trading a new toy for an older toy that they will donate to charities that pick up donations.
- Hot pads, dish towels, and other new kitchen items can take the drawer space of other items that you donate to humane shelters that use any kind of fabric for pets.
- Even the new floor mats that you give your husband for his truck can encourage you to donate his older ones to charities.
- Orange may be the new favorite color for your daughter, but when you give her that new orange fleece jacket encourage her to donate another jacket that she no longer wears.
- Life jackets for the family boat might make great gifts from Santa, but go through the older life jackets to see if some of them can be donated to local groups that teach boating safety.
- Dolls for growing girls can be traded for older stuffed animals.
- Footwear is a popular gift for many growing children. The older outgrown shoes, however, may still be a great donation to many families in need.
- Ornaments are another popular gift, but make sure that you sort through the holiday items you no longer use.
- Rain boots for your college daughter can be exchanged for older boots that no longer fit.
- Tools for dad can take the place of others that just sit in the garage.
- Hats, gloves, and other winter accessories for other similar items.
- Elephants may be your teen daughter’s newest fashion; her former interest in unicorns might make a great gift for someone else.
- New pots and pans for your kitchen can mean an older set for a family who is looking for a new start.
- Everything that comes into your house should me matched up to some thing that will be on its way out to help someone else.
- We are a society with too many things. Use this Christmas to give away the extras!