This holiday season let's begin celebrating each other's holidays.  Why do we have to choose just one?  As a child of Lebanse origin, I cherished every holiday, those of my friends and my own, and felt lucky that I had the opportunity to experience and celebrate all of them.  I hope to one day let my children understand the beauty and meaning of all the holidays of the world, and give them a taste of each by bringing it into my home. 

Happy Chriskwanzukkaheid everyone!

As an update to my previous post "Get out and Spend......at your local charity" I decided to list a few resources for better gift-giving this year.

1.  I found a great website called changingthepresent.org, a nonprofit website offering gifts that change the world.  This year, why not give a gift that will make a difference without breaking the bank.  It's a nice change from last year's portable dog toilet  or The Hillary Nutcracker.  Here's a list of other great websites that offer charitable gifts.

 2.  Knit a scarf.  As outdated and granny as this sounds, imagine the feeling you get receiving a stylish scarf or hat that someone knitted themselves.  Emphasis on the word stylish of course.  My mother recently took up this hobby and has been churning out the cutest scarves in this season's styles and colors.  She even made one in the colors of my alma mater.  So pick up some knitting needles and knit your way through your list of family members while watching Jon Stewart.

                                                                 Knit a scarf this season by BraceletSeeds

3.  There have been some crazy rumors swirling around that Wal-Mart will be selling the 4GB iPhone for $99 after Christmas.  If there's one piece of technology I would vouch for it would be the iPhone or iPod touch. There are so many things you can do with this little gadget, it's endless. You can even plant real trees.  I know many out there are strong anti-Wal-Mart activists but this deal may render that title temporarily unavailable according to some.  So go out and buy a $100 Wal-Mart gift card and pray.  Either way they get a $100 gift card out of it.

4.  Find out what someone really needs.  And I don't mean those perfect pair of Manolo Blahniks.  I mean something that they really need.  Something that they may not even realize they do.  Example: your grandparents live alone (and you're against the belief of placing them in a nursing home.)  Why not pay for cleaning services for a  full year to make life a little easier for them?   Make sure you know the person enough to know that they would truly appreciate this.  

5.  Books.  You can never go wrong with a good read.  Find out what the person's passions or intellectual pursuits are and then find the relevant title.  Even better, get an audiobook.   A constant commuter would truly appreciate this gesture. 

6.  Pay for one class of lessons.  Cooking, language, self-improvement, dance.   Depending on their passion, there are endless lists of options to choose from.  Do they religiously watch Food Network's Ace of Cakes? Sign them up for a cake-decorating class.   Be creative! 

7.  You can never go wrong with gift cards, especially in hard economic times.  And it doesn't even have to be over $50.  But be careful of hidden convenience fees, particularly from banks and shopping malls.  Make sure the recipient knows to use the gift card as soon as possible to avoid late usage charges.  Or better yet, choose an online store like Amazon, Ebay or Lottay to help them get more out of less.

8. Chocolate!  Chocolate makes everyone feel better.  Make sure to get a purer form of chocolate to get the full benefits.  A gift that is good for you and yummy.

9.  And the perfect gift this season?  Security.   This can range anywhere from positive thinking to get through hard times, to a software security suite for their computer, to a USB drive to guarantee the safety of their content.  

In the end, however, I believe helping your gift recipients participate in helping those less fortunate than themselves could easily increase their feelings of well-being and security.

With the world economy the way it is, everyone and everything suffers:  Nascar, jobs, boats, unnecessary fluff stores, Michael Jackson, gas prices(yeah!), state troopers, our health, horses, and luxury brands. 

No one wants to shop, travel, study or even start their own business.  All they really want to do is play games, commit crimes, drink, and fiil their SUVs up with cheap gas.

Am I the only one who sees a problem with that?  We have less spending money, so we go and numb our pains with games and booze.   

Shouldn't we being upping our charity-giving, health-caring, fitness-seeking, energy-renewing activities?  Just like a bout of depression, one most effectively deals with slumps in their life by improving their health, psyche, and spirit.

Because it seems that two things suffer most in this type of a crisis; the poor and our moods. 

So don't watch TV, eat junk food, or excercise in the mall. 

Instead give to your local charity or Salvation Army, work on improving yourself, sign up for yoga, shop local, get a massage, spend time with your family, or volunteer.

And it's ok if you don't buy Uncle Joe that flat-screen TV this year.  Instead, ask him to join you on your charity rounds and bring the kids and cousins too.  I'm sure it will be much more memorable than the money clip you bought Cousin Mo last year.