Donating instead of giving gifts this Christmas

Christmas has always been the time when I and my husband splurge on gifts. In the past years, we really spent so much on gifts (both cash and kind) especially those we gave to family members. This year will be different, though. To be honest, we didn't get to earn much this year unlike the years when the US economy was stronger. Secondly, I don't think it would be fitting to spend so much money while the people in Compostela Valley don't even have a decent spot to sleep in. No, I don't think my God would like that.

So, I just started my Christmas shopping the other day at Toy Kingdom (yes, I also started late this year). I don't skip giving gifts to children on Christmas because it was with the baby Jesus that this tradition of gift-giving started anyway. I made it a point to list down the names of my nephews and nieces (those that we normally see in reunions and Christmas gatherings) and our godchildren. I also bought Rap's exchange gift. Good thing I did not spend cash by using the Toy Kingdom gift cards I won at the Promil iShine event last June, teehee! I also noticed that my list has become shorter now that most of the kids have grown up.

Now, for the adults, I am only reserving my Christmas shopping budget for Rap's teachers, and my husband's office staff. We are also wrapping gifts for our parents. For the others, I'm thinking of giving them a greeting card that says we donated on their behalf for the victims of Typhoon Pablo through Red Cross because, really, they will still need all the help we can give and no amount is too small. Or, to really save on paper and other expenses, I will just post the card on Facebook.

If you're planning on buying gifts, say hockey gifts, this Christmas, I also hope you can allot part of your shopping money for donations.