CoolPeopleCare®

Unless you're Isaac Newton, Jimmy Buffet, or Clara Barton, you already know that Christmas is not your birthday. But, regardless of what month you were born, you know that consumerism is rife this time of year. Retail stores in the US will be filled with shoppers who will collectively spend nearly half a trillion dollars. Advertising will lure you to buy things for others and to ask for things from loved ones.

When we say "Christmas is not your birthday," we simply ask you to rethink the time and energy you spend in this month and a half of eggnog, wrapping paper and family.

For starters, rethink your wish list. Instead of asking for clothes to replace the ones that are perfectly fine, ask your parents to buy clothes for someone else. Instead of requesting the gadget that will be outdated by June, ask your spouse to send that money overseas. Instead of it all being about you, make it about someone else.

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Secondly, give generously. If you've never donated in someone's name or given livestock, this holiday season is the perfect time to start. As you give gifts with your specific tradition, find ones that donate a portion of the sticker price to a worthy cause. Begin family traditions that value sacrifice over consumption and giving over getting. The average American will spend nearly $800 on gifts this winter. This just so happens to be the same amount needed to protect a child for a year, reunite 11 families, or feed a village.

Breaking old habits is hard, so we're here to help. Every Monday until Christmas, we will feature a 5 Minutes of Caring to inform you of a little thing that can be done to make sure this season is about giving to those who need it more than you. And each Friday's More Time on Your Hands will feature true-life stories of people who have dared to take the challenge and remind themselves that Christmas is not their birthday.

Christmas (or Hannukah or Kwanzaa or Eid ul Adha or Yule) is not your birthday. Tune in here each week to find ideas that can be put into practice to make this holiday season the most generous one yet.

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