18 Days Till Christmas

Every couple of years, my husband and I get so disgusted with the commercialism of Christmas that we threaten to give everyone a goat. No, not an a real goat — at least to the gift recipient — but a donation of a goat in their name through Heifer International, which does amazing work building communities in developing nations. From their website:

With gifts of livestock and training, we help families improve their nutrition and generate income in sustainable ways. We refer to the animals as “living loans” because in exchange for their livestock and training, families agree to give one of its animal’s offspring to another family in need. It’s called Passing on the Gift – a cornerstone of our mission that creates an ever-expanding network of hope and peace.

Cool, huh? Well, maybe not to a kid who was hoping for a Wii, but for a business associate drowning in Harry & David pears — you can do good and look good at the same time. (So what if your business associate thinks you’re a liberal fruitcake. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.)

Heifer doesn’t stop at goats. They have sheep, llamas, rabbits, heifers (of course) — even honeybees. They also have pigs.

A friend who relies on Heifer for all of her holiday gift giving confessed that she saves the pigs for, well, the pigs. In a perfect world, no one would give gifts to people they don’t like, but business is business (or so people tell me), and necessary gestures are necessary gestures. So how do you do good and look good while leaving someone with the creepy suspicion that they’ve been dissed? You got it, Babe.

More Best Worst Holiday Gifts:

Nosy

Zapi Toothbrush Sanitizer

Forever Lazy

Wine Hourglasses

 

A signed book makes a great holiday gift. Click here for free, personalized bookplates.