10 Ways to Give Back for Christmas

in honor of giving tuesday, i would like to present...

Heifer International

How it works: You donate funds here to buy livestock for families in other countries.

A few years ago for Christmas, I made donations in behalf of my family members, printed up the certificates and framed them to wrap under the tree.

Salvation Army Angel Trees

How it works: You take a tag off a tree a at the mall and buy a Christmas gift for someone in need.

Some of the best gifts I've received are when someone took a tag off a tree, shopped for the person in my behalf, wrote the items on the back of the tag and gave it to me for Christmas. I keep those tags in a special place.

Print Aid New York

How it works: You buy a pretty poster here and the funds go toward Hurricane Sandy relief.

The Shine Project

How it works: You buy super cute jewelry and other goods here and the money goes toward scholarship funds for at-risk youth.
I recently met Ashley, the brains behind this amazing organization, at a blogger party. She has a big heart and I love her for that.

Make-A-Wish Believe Campaign

How it works: You write a letter to Santa and drop it off in the red mailbox at your local Macy's store. For every letter received, Macy's donates $1 to Make-A-Wish. Learn more here.

As a personal plug, I used to work at Make-A-Wish. The wishes mean everything to these children, and the Believe Campaign generates about $1 million every year. Go here if you want to read wish stories.

Barnes & Noble Book Drive

How it works: When you purchase a book at your local B&N, tell your cashier you want to donate a book to the holiday book drive. You get to pick a book off a shelf, add it to your purchase and BAM...someone's getting something good to read.

American Red Cross

How it works: You can make a donation here to Hurricane Sandy relief.

Ryker Bracelet

How it works: You buy a lovely gold heart bracelet and the money goes toward helping Ryker, a little boy with a heart condition. Follow his story here.

P.S. I love my bracelet so much.

International Rescue Committee

How it works: You donate here toward food, healthcare, education, etc. for a refugee family in need.

I had the chance to deliver Christmas gifts to several of some of these families in Phoenix a couple years ago and it was an amazing experience.

Chrissy's Random Acts of Kindness

How it works: You follow the example of this amazing gal and do things like tape dollars bills to vending machines with little notes that say things like, "Happy Christmas! Buy yourself a nice treat."

She also dropped off knitted hats and other treasures at a local hospital on Thanskgiving. Love this girl. Her Thanksgiving adventures seriously warmed my heart.

happy christmas,

katilda