Shopping Ideas for 2013

Every year around Christmas, I try and give you a few suggestions about ways to have your gift-giving be more than just corporate fodder. Not that buying from super-mega-giant corporations is completely evil, but there just might be a few ways to give meaning along with presents this year.

• First, an idea that you’ve probably seen from others, but it’s new to my thinking this year. If you’re familiar with Kickstarter or Indiegogo, then you know how this works. A person or group has an idea, but instead of going to the bank or stock market for money, they take an appeal straight to the world for funding. If you like it, you can chip in for the idea. Sometimes there’s a freebie or a gift, but it’s about funding the idea. The Christmas gift suggestion? Pick a great project that your friends, family, or enemies would get behind, and support it.

Use the freebies/thank yous as gifts, and fill out a card explaining what you did and why. For example, take this idea:

Look at the options, and click through to make it happen. You do your own examination of worthiness, because it’s your risk. But take a gander at some of these ideas. You can put a unique T-shirt or keychain under the tree, and then have a really great story to go with it.

• Second, there are mission organizations to support. I’ve pushed the following for years:
• The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
• Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
• Rivers of the World
• Wycliffe Bible Translators
• Third, smart-purchasing allows you to buy gifts that provide jobs and opportunities for people. You can shop small businesses locally, because that helps, but I would also point you to WorldCrafts.

Why? because WorldCrafts provides job opportunities to folks that have limited options around the world. Want to provide ongoing help to those who have escaped human trafficking? Check their Set1Free section.

Those are just some general ideas. Take a look, before the madness sets in at the mall!