"real" gifts with purpose

Since I love Advent but am having trouble making time to blog these days, I thought you might enjoy reading some great thoughts from someone else on "10 Ways to Avoid the Seduction of Consumerism this Christmas."

By the way, I might seem like I'm not into buying Christmas gifts, but I actually fought to keep gift giving alive in my family. I love giving and receiving gifts. I just don't think we need to go overboard. I also think that it's exciting to give donations, as I mentioned in my previous post, or buy "real" gifts that support a good cause.

Searching the internet will yield all kinds of gifts with purpose, so look for gifts you love that support causes you believe in. Two that I have used for Christmas are:

Gobena Coffee: Each bag of coffee feeds an orphan for a month. I bought a bunch last Christmas for gifts and for us. Nearly every time I serve it to guests, some coffee lover comments about how good it is.

Paper Bead Necklaces supporting From HIV to Home: I made these available to friends and family last year, so they sent me some again this year. They're made by women in Africa who are paid fairly for their handiwork, and they're beautiful. The proceeds support a great organization, so everyone wins. (Let me know if you want to see my supply.)

I also have a new favorite organization to purchase gifts from, but I can't tell you about it because certain people who might read this post will be receiving Christmas gifts from them this year. I'll have to tell you about it after the holidays, and you can make a note for next Christmas.

Really, the options for purposeful gift giving are neverending. If you have a favorite gift with purpose, please share it in the comments so we check it out.