Have a Merry (and Waste-Less) Christmas

We've almost reached Christmas, a time to celebrate the birth of a tiny child who came to teach us how to really love one another, the turning of the days from darkness to light, and, unfortunately, the heaviest waste weeks of the year for our garbage collectors.

I've gone on at length in my moodlings about the way consumer culture has taken over a season that was initially a time to come together with family and friends to pray and feast and visit and create memories rather than give stuff to one another. In that spirit, at the top of this page, you can click on the Simple Christmas Ideas tab and find a 31-day series of sensible homemade activities and ideas for any family to enjoy, or check out the BuyNothingChristmas link on the sidebar.

I'm delighted to see that the City of Edmonton Waste Management Branch has recruited Andrew Ference, former captain of the Edmonton Oilers hockey team and well-known eco-warrior, to remind us to make memories, not garbage. It's a funny animation, but it makes a point that the world needs to hear.

Have a Merry and Waste-Less Christmas!

Re-Moodling: Simple Christmas Idea #9... Attend an Advent prayer

For the past five years, a group of churches in my neighbourhood has welcomed Christians of all denominations to pray in their worship spaces one Sunday evening each month (except June to August) in the style of prayer that originated in Taizé (pronounced Tay-ZAY) Community in the Burgundy region of France. The beautiful music and the spirit of the place draws people from all over the globe to go on pilgrimage to the tiny village every year (see www.taize.fr).

I would like to invite you to come and join us for a musical, meditative, internationally flavoured way to pray this Advent.
We will gather at 7 p.m. next Sunday, December 11, at Ascension Lutheran Church, 8405 83 Street.

Music is the foundation of the prayer that flows for an hour, interspersed with psalms, a gospel reading, silence and intercessory prayer. At the evening's conclusion, we sometimes gather as neighbours and friends for conversation and refreshments. Honestly, it's one of my favourite ways to pray, because I've always been strongly drawn to music as a form of worship... and because there is no preaching. We sing and listen to the scriptures and let them speak to us of God in the silence of our hearts.

Please consider joining us, and bring friends!

Holy is the name of God, sing out my soul, praising God evermore!

Holy is the name of God, sing out my soul, giving praise to God!

Simple Christmas idea #9 revisited -- Attend an Advent service

It's that time of year again... Advent, a lovely, anticipatory time of reawakening the birth of Christ in our hearts, hoping for the justice and peace that our faith calls for, and looking forward to the return of light to our lives...

On Sunday at 7 p.m., the Southeast Edmonton Taize group will be praying together at Resurrection Catholic Church, 10555 50 A Street. All are welcome, and to make the experience truly ecumenical, I would invite participants to bring friends and neighbours of any denomination. Taize Prayer is open to all believers, so the more the merrier.

I love the chant below for these days of long winter darkness. You're all invited to come and sing it with us on Sunday evening.

Simple Suggestion # 244... Simplify your Christmas season

Today I spent a few hours with some gentle folks, leading a workshop about having a simpler, more sustainable and less stressful Christmas season. I've given the Simplifying Christmas workshop for the last seven years or so to many different groups, and today I had the unexpected pleasure of having a repeat participant! She came to me after the workshop asking if I had given the session in a certain place -- and that's when I figured out why she seemed so familiar. What was really lovely was that her 94-year-old mom also joined her, and shared some of her favourite Christmas memories.

As I listened to the dear lady talk about special Ukrainian Christmas foods, time with family and neighbours, and singing Christmas carols in three languages until the wee hours after midnight mass, I found myself yearning for a Christmas that depends less on consumerism and more on community. It's only the last 70 or 80 years that have seen Christmas shackled to shopping, and are we any happier for it?

Many of the so-called Christmas traditions that we now take for granted came out of someone's desire to make money, and generally, they aren't the things that stay in our memory through the years. Can we even recall the Christmas gifts that we received last year? I can't. But I do remember precious times shared with family and friends -- visiting, going Christmas caroling, playing a wild and crazy game of cards, tobogganing or skating, or even just going for a walk together (in our Christmas pajamas!). And what's interesting is that these happy memory moments are much kinder to our earth and its limited resources than the items on the "Christmas Must-Haves" lists compiled by marketers and consumer magazines.

So today, I'd like to suggest that we recall those simple Christmas moments, and consider ways that we can simplify the season ahead. I know I've shared plenty of Simple Christmas ideas in the past that you can read up on below, but if you don't feel like reading, check out the little 4-minute video version ... and have a gentle and joyous Advent and Christmas season...

#1 -- Decorate organically (naturally)
#2 -- Have a happy Advent (observe "anticipation")
#3 -- Have a cookie of a day (cookie bake)
#4 -- Turn off the TV (more time, more peace)
#5 -- Forgo gifts for family togetherness (presence vs. presents)
#6 -- Avoid using credit cards for gift purchases (no Christmas aftershocks in January)
#7 -- Choose charitable gifts (offered by charities)
#8 -- Make your own wish list smaller (remember what you have)
#9 -- Attend an Advent prayer service (anticipation again)
#10 -- Give food gifts (and make cooks happy)
#11 -- Be a secret angel (random acts of kindness)
#12 -- Share the gift of a personal story (family history or something funny)
#13 -- Make a micro-loan gift (support the developing world)
#14 -- Create a family calendar (a photo keepsake enjoyed all year)
#15 -- Give gifts to the homeless (warm socks or other necessities)
#16 -- Plan a few quiet evenings during the Christmas season (relax a little)
#17 -- Give homemade coupon gifts (gifts of time and talent)
#18 -- Take a Christmas stroll (enjoy the outdoors)
#19 -- Consider a community gift (share-able presents)
#20 -- Feed the birds (gift our feathered friends)
#21 -- Hold your own candlelit concert (enjoy music at home)
#22 -- Try something other than wrapping paper (avoid wasting paper)
#23 -- Go carolling (sing for neighbours and friends)
#24 -- Bake a birthday cake for Jesus (and share it)
#25 -- Serve Christmas dinner buffet-style (simplify)
#26 -- Adopt a gifts-in, gifts-out policy (the true meaning of Boxing Day)
#27 -- Play a simple game (parlour games and family interaction)
#28 -- Have a meatless meal (be kind to the animals)
#29 -- Get enough sleep (be kind to yourself)
#30 -- Set up a new Christmas giving box (think ahead)
#31 -- Dance! (enjoy your body's ability to move)

Simple Christmas idea #31 -- Dance!

Year end celebration...

Get out and dance with the crowds at the outdoor New Year's festivities wherever you live. If that doesn't work, consider putting on some favourite, lively music, rolling back the rug if you can, and inviting friends over to move and groove. Or if you don't feel like being sociable, turn up your favourite tune and dance a solo. I'm coping with my sense of imbalance, and our planet made it through another year in one piece, so I'm definitely going to dance!

Whether you feel like dancing or not, Happy New Year!

Simple Christmas idea #30 -- Set up a new Christmas giving box

Think about next year...

As I'm writing this (on December 23rd) Josh Groban is singing, "There's so much to be thankful for" (I'm biting my tongue about where he's situated his preposition!) and I'm thinking this is the perfect suggestion as we move into a new year. As North Americans and people in the developed world, we are blessed in more ways than we can count... and often find ourselves with spare change in our pockets, unlike about 92% of the planet's population.

Now is a good time to make a plan for next year's giving. Setting aside a box for that spare change, or organizing our charitable donations for the coming year means that by next December, we'll have contributed to many worthy causes, and still have our spare change box to share with the Food Bank or the Salvation Army, or any other Christmas charity of choice. We do have so much for which to be thankful, and it isn't hard to spread that gratitude around, especially if we plan in advance. So find a little box, put it in a prominent place, and dream of those who might appreciate some shared spare change next year...

Simple Christmas idea #29 -- Get enough sleep

Don't forget your ZZZzzz's

The problem with Christmas and New Year's being so close together is that it's just too easy to run a serious sleep deficit -- which doesn't help anyone's spirit of celebration. This is about the simplest Christmas idea there is. Turn out the lights early -- my uncle swears that the hours of sleep before midnight are the ones that do the most good, and I tend to believe him. New Year's Eve is only two days away, so it might not be a bad idea to bank a little time... especially after I was up past midnight last night, working on a jigsaw puzzle and drinking scotch with a friend!

On another note, today we'll be celebrating our beloved daughter's 19th birthday, though the actual day is tomorrow. Happy Birthday, Christina!

Simple Christmas idea #28 -- Have a meatless meal

Take a break from turkey...

As a cradle Catholic, I was raised with meatless meals on Friday as a sign of respect for the fact that Jesus died on Good Friday -- a form of penance. It's a long standing tradition in the Catholic world -- though it's never been much of a penance for people who like to eat fish. As a Catholic who is tired of the church's overemphasis on sin and guilt, I continue to observe meatless Fridays -- but for a few other reasons besides Good Friday.

For one, I'm finding it harder and harder to enjoy meat when I learn about factory farming and the living conditions in which animals are raised for our dinner tables. For two, the meat industry has had some pretty serious health scare issues in the last little while in the meat processing plants. And for three, I think the hormones and antibiotics in some kinds of meat in particular don't agree with me at all. I have had some pretty serious stomach cramps at three in the morning, the kind that make me wonder if maybe I should go to emergency. But most important of all, animals deserve our respect, and our planet does, too. The meat industry is one of the biggest polluters and destroyers of our environment, when you think about how many resources it takes to raise a pound of beef in comparison to a pound of vegetables.

Our meat consumption as a family has dropped fairly steadily over the last few years, and even more so since Christina has started cooking out of vegetarian cookbooks. So not only do we have meatless Fridays, but we're into other meatless days, too. It's good for us to try new things and eat lower on the food chain.

So today's Simple Christmas idea is to have a simpler meal that doesn't involve meat of any kind. Ours will likely consist of a soup I made from our garden produce and froze in the fall, homemade bread, canned tomatoes, and Christmas baking. Or maybe Christina will make us a tofu dish. Either way, we, the animals, and our planet all win.

Simple Christmas idea #26 -- Adopt a gifts-in, gifts-out policy

A lot of people think that Boxing Day is the time to box up unsuitable, mis-sized or unwanted gifts for return to the stores, or for getting the most out of Boxing Day sales. But once upon a time, especially in Europe, the true meaning of Boxing Day was found in boxing up items to give to those in need. I'm sticking with that thought today:

Give a thought to the real meaning of Boxing Day...

When a gift comes into the house, something it "replaces" (of equal or similar value -- a book for a book, a toy for a toy, etc.) goes out as a gift to the less fortunate. Hopefully this creates generosity, reduces clutter, and keeps life as simple as we can make it.

So what will you pay forward?

Simple Christmas ideas #24 and #25 -- Bake a birthday cake for Jesus/Serve Christmas dinner buffet-style

Today I'm sharing two simple Christmas ideas because I have something else planned for tomorrow.

Happy Birthday to you...

Whose birthday are we celebrating, anyway? Bake a cake of your favourite flavour, decorate it, and put on as many candles as you like (scripture scholars can't agree on Jesus' exact birthdate or year, and 2,008 or 2,015 candles won't fit, regardless). Sing a Christmas carol and Happy Birthday, of course! Take a piece to share with a lonely neighbour, or invite that neighbour over to share in the celebration.

And...

Make life easier for the cook...

That's what we're doing this year. Christmas dinner is at our house, and because of the way our house is organized and the size of our dining table, supper will go more smoothly if we don't put all the food on the table. Buffet style supper makes for less work for the cook (yes, I'm a lazy sod), and for easier cleanup, too.

It's Christmas eve, and we're looking forward to 8 p.m. mass, Christmas carols, and time together as family. We wish you a beautiful, holy night.

Isn't our Christmas tree angel lovely?

Simple Christmas idea #23 -- Go carolling

Sing we now of Christmas...

That's what a group of us will be doing this evening for a short time because it's blooming cold out there!  A friend of ours has always wanted a "Christmas Carol" sing song, so we'll carol around our neighbourhood until feet get too cold. We might make a brief stop at the local Senior's Extendicare facility, and hope to sing for a few neighbours who might be at home. Then it's back to our house for cookies, hot chocolate and conversation.

Carolling is another one of those activities that just needs someone to say, "Let's do it." It's a way of bringing Christmas cheer to our neighbours during these darkest days of the year... but I fully expect it brings more cheer to us as individuals.

Sing we joyous all together, fa la la, la la la, la la la
Heedless of the wind and weather, fa la la la la, la la la la...

Simple Christmas idea #22 -- Try something other than wrapping paper

Don't judge a gift by its cover...

I love the Japanese practice of furoshiki. Haven't heard of it? Well, in Japan, people use lovely handcrafted cloth to wrap gifts. This week, our receptionist at L'Arche returned from her trip home to Japan and brought a gorgeous piece of woven material to be used for furoshiki. Sometimes the wrapping is prettier than the gift! In this case, the wrapping was the gift.

But at our house, the wrapping being nicer than the gift is rarely the case. Years and years ago, before green was "Green," our family started the tradition of wrapping gifts in Christmas flyers and newspapers. We wrapped our kids' gifts in long-saved Saturday colour comics for extra re-reading pleasure. My husband once wrapped a fishing rod for my dad so that it looked something like a stratocaster guitar! (Lee is a very creative wrapper. Early in our courtship, I received a box containing a teddybear that ticked like a time bomb and bounced like a beach ball). Then along came gift bags, and we've been reusing the same ones for ages, passing them from person to person, sticky old bits of tape and all, ever since they joined our family (join our family, and it's for life). I don't think I've purchased a single gift bag yet. I've also discovered that most books fit perfectly into dishcloths, and my loaves of Christmas Oatmeal bread -- that went to the girls' teachers  and a few friends yesterday -- fit perfectly into brown bags that my girls decorate and personalize for their recipients.

Wrapping paper is one of humankind's silliest inventions, because it's a total waste (most people just rip it to shreds) and the metallic, shiny kind can't even be recycled even at Edmonton's world class recycling facilities (though plain wrapping paper can -- just put it in your blue bag). So today's simple idea is to be creative -- don't wrap with anything that can't be reused, and give the planet a gift, too.

Simple Christmas idea #21 -- Hold your own candlelit concert

A musical interlude...

Here's a lovely, easy Christmas idea. Round up the candles in your house, light them and situate them around your living room or wherever your stereo is located, turn out the lights and play a recording of Handel's Messiah or other Christmas choral music to which you have access. I'll be listening to The Mystery of Christmas by the Elora (Ontario) Festival Singers, a cd given to us by one of Lee's cousins. It's a mix of traditional carols and some English carols that are scarcely heard, like Jesus Christ the Apple Tree. I'm going to give it my full attention, as it usually plays while I'm preparing for Christmas and I don't get to hear all the lyrics.

What are you listening to?

Simple Christmas idea #20 -- Feed the birds

Remember our feathered friends...

Our suet ball is hanging outside the window nearest my computer, so I see a lot of our winter feathered friends as I work. Lately, there's been a huge yellow-shafted flicker visiting, but mostly, it's characters like nuthatches, chickadees, and the downy woodpecker you see below.

Our sunflower harvest was amazing this year. We cut off the sunflower heads and stored them in our garage, thinking we'd bring a new one out for the chickadees every so often... but the mice had other ideas. So we hung our sunflowers on our fence, and there were lots of squirrels and blue jays around for a while. They're too heavy to hang from the heads like the smaller birds do, so they picked seeds from around the edges, and our smaller feathered friends cleaned up the leftovers. The jays still come around now and then, hoping, I think, that we've set out a few more heads. They eye the suet ball, too, as does our squirrel, but it's hard for him to reach it. So he checks out the sunflower heads in case he missed anything.

Nature is something that puts us more in touch with who we are, reminding us that our planet is one huge web of life of which we are just a tiny part. Today's idea is to find ways to bring nature closer to your door, even if it's just your neighbourhood birds. Hang a suet ball, put out some bird seed or unsalted peanuts, and welcome some guests of a different sort. Merry Christmas to the animals in our midst!

Simple Christmas idea #19 -- Consider a community gift

Not everyone needs their own (fill-in-the-blank)...

On Sunday morning, I was delighted to wake up to a radio program about collaborative consumption, Buy Nothing Christmas, and the Sharing Economy. Finally, finally, our media is starting to take more notice of people who are refusing to buy into rampant consumerism, people who find alternatives to following our culture's obsession with possessions. More and more of us are discovering that we can be happy with less, and that celebration does not require that we buy, buy, buy. If you like to listen to good podcasts, you can find the radio program by clicking here. It's 27 minutes in length, and worth a listen.

One of the worst things about this consumer culture in which we live is the fact that it has brainwashed us into thinking that we all have to have our very own fill-in-the-blank. But as many of us already know, the truth is that we don't all need our very own snow blower, lawn mower, apple picker, car, or basketball hoop. Some things are better held in community where many people have access to them. Cooperating and sharing with neighbours means that people use fewer resources to get along in this world. Not only that, but just getting to know the locals and sharing things between us builds symbiotic connections that strengthen community and create opportunities for the sharing of more ideas toward a better and kinder world.

If you're lucky enough to have an active community league in your area, get a membership, and find out about community-building and community sharing initiatives. Often there are playgrounds being planned or other things in the works that can use all kinds of neighbourly support. If not, it's always possible to invite a group of neighbours to gather and discuss projects that can make your neighbourhood a happier and more self-reliant place. I can't resist attaching this video about a woman who did just that. Pam Warhurst and her friends at a kitchen table in Todmorden weren't thinking about the gift they were creating when they started the Incredible Edibles project, but that's what they have done. Sometimes all it takes is one person with an idea to bestow something fantastic upon an entire community!

Video from KarmaTube

And while I'm on the topic of making our communities' future kinder, I'd like to invite you to click this link and sign a petition to encourage the City of Edmonton to become a community that supports Fair Trade and Fair Trade farmers by using Fair Trade products. It's another way to gift our world by doing something small to make it a better place...

Simple Christmas idea #18 Take a Christmas stroll

A little exercise goes a long way...

This is one of my favourite times of year for an evening walk. Lee and I like cruising the neighbourhood on foot after supper while our kids are cleaning up the kitchen after my supper cooking spree (that's the deal -- I cook, they clean). The darkness, Christmas lights, and crisp evening air make for enjoyable strolls, and it's always nice to have a mug of something warm when we come back in (a little coffee with Irish Creme, maybe?) I suspect the fresh air also makes for better sleep when we do settle down for our long winter's naps... or maybe it's the Irish Creme?

Walking is a great way to destress from the busyness of December days -- and those exercise endorphins can't be beat. Consider inserting a stroll into Christmas Day between dinner and dessert. Making an after-supper walk into a regular routine that carries on into the New Year is a simple gift to ourselves that we can really feel good about!

Simple Suggestion #16 -- Plan a few quiet evenings during the Christmas season

A little rest and relaxation helps...

This past week was a wild and crazy one for our family. Between Taize Prayer, meetings, school musical performances, some work-related shopping I had to do, and the arrival of The Hobbit in local movie theatres, we were out and running every single night. Tonight, we get to stay home, and we're planning to enjoy it!

A friend and I were lamenting this year-end frenzy that strikes during the darkest days of the year, days when it would be nice to curl up with a book, a blanket and a cup of something warm. Not that I dislike Christmas events and activities -- just that so often they get to be excessive, to the point that we're so tuckered out, we can't really enjoy another night out because it would be so nice to have a night "in", or alternately, when we get a few minutes break from feeling hectic and harried, we can't relax.

So today's Simple Christmas idea is just to have a quiet evening at home. Every couple of days. To keep our sense of sanity, sanctuary, and stability in the midst of the pre-Christmas rush. Make a drink of your choice, put on some music that you love, put your feet up, and enjoy!

***

On a completely different topic, after a year of listening to the prayers in the revised Roman Missal, I still can't stand them. I won't repeat my rant against the formalistic language here, but I will direct you to a website put up by some people who have given the topic considerably more thought and research than I have. Click here and you'll find a detailed explanation about why the new words don't work for many of us, and you'll also find a petition to sign if you agree with the article's writer(s). Unfortunately, I think the petition has already been presented to the CCCB, but I signed it anyway. It's the only place I've found where I can register my opinion, which is in agreement with the CNWE's explanation.

Simple Christmas idea #15 -- Give gifts to the homeless

Support a local good cause...

In my dizzy state over the past year, I've only been to the Clothing Room at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul a couple of times, just for short stints. Physio has helped me realize that the vertigo's spinny-ness has dissipated, though my head still feels unbalanced. I'm back to driving, though not during rush hours, and am basically living with a sense of imbalance, since it's just not going away. So this week, it's time to return to the Clothing Room, and that makes me happy!

My mom has been keeping me up to date on my favourite homeless friends when they've come in. One of them has been praying for me, which is really neat, because I often pray for him when the weather gets really cold. I can't imagine life as a homeless person, but Dave has dropped little bits of his life story for me to collect over the last few years. He's a chronic alcoholic whose addiction keeps him from settling into a home, and he carries all his earthly goods a backpack which, according to him, frequently gets stolen by others on the streets, and needs to be replaced. He always seems to need gloves this time of year, frequently losing his, but he also admits to sharing his stuff with buddies who sometimes don't give it back. It seems that ownership is a much looser concept among our homeless brothers and sisters than it is with me, which makes me wonder sometimes -- who is the poorer?

Dave has a great sense of humour, and, I suspect, an even stronger sense of shame at times. But to me, he'll always be my first homeless friend, the man who taught me that homeless people are not to be feared or pitied, simply because we're all human beings who need to be loved, and because there's a fine line between Dave's life and my own. In reality, those lessons are a greater gift than anything I've ever given to Dave. His friendship is one of the lights in my life. He has made me more aware of the fact that none of us has any control over the families or situations into which we are born -- where I used to take that for granted, now I see how fortunate I've been. Dave? Well, he's just doing the best he can with the cards he's been dealt. I admire his resilience, because I don't know that I'd cope very well in his place.

There are those who say that charity creates a huge inequity between giver and recipient, and that we shouldn't be handing things out for nothing and creating dependencies. While I agree with that in principle, in reality, I don't want Dave to end up with frostbite, as he has in the past. The homeless in our cities need homes, but I am powerless to provide them with that basic necessity -- and some of our people actually seem to prefer life outdoors (except when it's really cold). What I can provide is some financial support to Housing First and other agencies that find homes for our brothers and sisters in need, and I can buy gifts for my homeless friends: socks, gloves, little soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and other toiletries, long underwear, toques, scarves, and other things that will get them through the winter.

It's easy to give money to help people far away, as with the microloans mentioned in Simple Christmas Idea # 13, but it's also important to support local initiatives. Last year our church gathered gift bags of helpful items to be given to those in need by the Inner City Pastoral Ministry. I haven't heard whether it's happening again this year, but even if it isn't, I can gather the same sorts of items and give them to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul this week. 

Mary, Joseph, and the holy child were homeless as they began their family life. We can all be so-called wise ones, bringing gifts, and receiving blessing. How can you gift the homeless or agencies that support them where you are?

Simple Christmas idea #14 -- Create a family calendar

A gift of the year's highlights...

In the corner of one room in my parents' home is a wall covered with outdated calendars. Not your ordinary calendars, either. Each page sports pictures of my parents and their children and grandchildren engaged in different activities from years gone by. My sisters have done an amazing job of taking family photos and lovingly creating some gorgeous calendar gifts for Mom and Dad, and each time we visit, we have to check out the latest calendar page.

There are many ways to go about creating your own family calendar. Last week I saw a rather ugly freebie calendar at my drug store that could be vastly improved if some family photos were pasted on it. My computer seems to have a couple of calendar programs in its drives and there are downloadable programs on the internet. Places like Smilebox and Black's Photos have websites where you can upload pictures and get creative, though I've never tried those options. I just searched for internet calendars and found more options than I have time to sort through. As with Simple Christmas idea #12 (writing a family story), where there's a will, there's a way, and something personalized is a lot more meaningful than any generic, store-bought gift could ever be...

Now I need to get down to work and send some of this year's photos to my sisters for next year's calendar...

Simple Christmas idea #13 -- Make a micro-loan gift

Sharing our abundance...

I've already moodled this idea before, but it's worth repeating: if we really want to "live simply so others may simply live," it's always a good thing to share our abundance with those less fortunate. One of my favourite ways to do this is through a micro-loan organization. The idea of giving small loans with very low interest to entrepreneurs in the developing world is catching on more and more, and it's easy for us to join in!

The thing is that people who are poor don't exactly have any collateral to offer in exchange for a bank loan. Providing proof of steady employment and a verifiable credit history are pretty much impossible for a woman with a family in a small village in Africa, so how can she be expected to apply for traditional credit to start her own business? Just the interest rates alone may sink her. And interest rates applied to the developing world by our developed world are a huge part of the reason that our brothers and sisters in developing countries are so far behind us in their standard of living.

There are those who question charging interest at all... but after years and years of sending donations to people in the developing world, we are realizing that free money creates an unhealthy imbalance between donor and recipient. Giving a loan at an interest rate that is easily repaid, however, allows for both sides to feel good about their efforts. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in India, understood that people feel better when they repay a loan rather than receive charity. He received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering efforts in microfinance, and the award brought his work into the limelight -- after he'd been at it for 30 years! He began in 1976, lending small amounts of his own money at low interest to help rural people start their own businesses. 35 years later, there are many organizations that do the same. Punch microloans into your favourite browser, and see how many hits come up!

My own experience has been through www.kiva.org. In 2009, a friend gave my daughters each $25 for Christmas to invest through Kiva. Since then, they've recouped their money twice, and will soon be able to reinvest again because a Sewing co-operative in Paraguay has almost repaid one loan. A music store owner in Honduras and a food store operator in Liberia are doing alright, too.

What we really like is that we're not sending money away and never hearing whether our donation made a difference. We can see that it did, and that makes us want to continue our microfinance efforts.

If you're interested in giving an entrepreneur in the developing world a low-interest loan, there are many organizations with whom to work. I know that Kiva works well, but if you've given through another organization and can recommend the experience, I'd love to hear about it. Any way that we can share resources with our brothers and sisters in the developing world is a project worth taking on!