05/08December

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I love Christmas. Or the holiday season. Or whatever you want to call it.

I love Christmas because a large part of the culture of the holiday is about giving gifts to people you love.

As many of you know, I love gift giving.

I’ve spent about four hours on Etsy in the past few weeks ordering gifts. I’ve already finished my gift shopping at Chapters/Indigo, and am planning on heading over to the Apple Store next week to pick up my last batch of gifts before I head out to Canada Post to mail them all out to people around the world.

But in the midst of all this consumerism, I wanted to encourage you all — and remind myself, actually — that giving takes many forms and we can make a difference in someone’s life by giving of our time, money, and resources to the people that need them most.

Give List

Allison Fine and Marnie Webb just kicked off a project called Give List which is encouraging people to give of their time and resources this holiday season and throughout the year. From the site:

Times are tight. We know, we know. We’ve all seen the scary headlines. Too many of the scary headlines. And we’re all feeling the pressure in other ways too.

But, still, we want to contribute what we can to making the world the better place.

The GiveList gives you ideas and inspiration for just that: ways that you contribute without spending or buying. Or maybe giving while buying and spending a little less than usual.

If you’re looking for some great ideas on where to donate your time and resources this holiday season, I’d check out the site, but I’d also like to throw in a few suggestions of my own from the Toronto area:

  • The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: The award programme is always looking for motivated individuals to be group leaders or activity mentors. Commit as much time as you have and help motivate young people in the community to achieve their personal potential.
  • Canadian Mental Health Association: Mental illnesses still carry more stigma than almost any other kind of health condition. Make a difference by helping educate the public about the realities of mental health and mental disorders.
  • Lawyers Feed the Hungry: You don’t have to be a lawyer or law student to volunteer at this soup kitchen at Osgoode Hall, but you do need to have a desire to help the less-fortunate residents of the city find nourishment, warmth, and a friendly smile.

If time’s a bit tight right now but money’s not, here are a few places that would be happy to put your donations to excellent use:

Hope you all have a great giving season. And while I’d much rather you all spend your time and money on the causes above, if you really do want to get me something for Christmas, I do have a few things sitting on my wishlist.

You know, just in case you’ve got some cash to burn.

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