Alternate Gifts

This is the fifth in a series of 12 personal reflections on Christmas posted during the Twelve Days of Christmas.

I gave up my Christmas gifts & 16 people received clean water

A year ago at Thanksgiving my brother-in-law, who had drawn my name for the annual gift exchange, asked me what I would like for Christmas. I told him that I had decided to share my Christmas with those who have very little and that I was asking people to make a donation to charity: water or another charity of their choice. He immediately responded, "But I want to give you something to fill up your storage room in your basement."

The truth of that statement was a bit unnerving. Even if I use the gifts I receive at Christmas, it usually means that something else gets moved down to the storage room to be forgotten about. The small pile of gifts that I receive every year are truly things that I want, not things that I need.

When it was all said and done, over $450 was given to various charities that provided water or animals to people around the world who needed them to live a better life.

And I didn't miss a thing.

There was no pile of gifts to put away when the tree came down. Later in the year I didn't find myself wishing that I would have received something. My quality of life didn't suffer at all. The people who wanted to honor me with a gift were able to do so in a way that made the world a better place. (In a tax-deductible way no less.) And to be honest, there were none of the awkward moments when you open that gift that isn't quite what you wanted but you have to act excited and thankful anyway.

This year I made a list of things that I wanted. Those were the things I found under the tree and inside the brightly wrapped boxes. People were more than generous and I am thankful for what I received. I really like my gifts.

The difference between this year and last year is the sense of peace and joy. Last year at the end of Christmas I had this deep feeling of peace and contentment that just isn't here this year.

I'm not sure what I will do next year. Maybe I can up the ante by giving alternate gifts as well as asking for them.

What are your experiences with alternate gift giving or receiving?