It’s that time of year. Time to think about giving gifts. (Oh yeah! Time to receive gifts too!) Consider it as an opportunity to build relationships, stimulate your local economy, and take care of the planet.

” The fallacy of the story that material consumption is the path to happiness is quickly exposed and replaced with the fact that we truly come alive as we reduce material consumption and gain control of our time to nurture the relationships that bring true happiness.” (David Korten, We are Hard-wired to Care and Connect, YES! Magazine, July 30, 2008.)

Korten’s complete essay is worth the read, and is available online at www.yesmagazine.org.

Here is an excerpt from this article, which I found particularly intellectually stimulating, confirming and motivating:

Despite the constant mantra that, “There is no alternative” to greed and competition, daily experience and a growing body of scientific evidence support the thesis that we humans are born to connect, learn, and serve and that it is indeed within our means to:

• Create family-friendly communities in which we get our satisfaction from caring relationships rather than material consumption;
• Achieve the ideal, which traces back to Aristotle, of creating democratic middle-class societies without extremes of wealth and poverty; and
• Form a global community of nations committed to restoring the health of the planet and sharing Earth’s bounty to the long-term benefit of all (see YES! Summer 2008: A Just Foreign Policy).

These three pointers define what sustainability is:

Equity – Relationships and Empowerment. The best gift you can give is you and your time. A family-friendly community is one where neighbors, teachers, parents, business owners, and children know each other by name. Since moving to my house in January of 2008, I have become very close friends with my next-door neighbors, two adult daughters and their 93 year-old father who built their house in 1951.  Our friendship has helped add years to Lee’s life, and given me one more reason to say, “I love this town!”.

Economy – The Exchange of Goods. I’m sure, no matter what part of the country you live in, there are holiday bazars that showcase local artists and artisans peddling their wares. Take the time to visit these local spots, where you’re sure to find hot drinks and treats to tide you over while you shop. Another idea is to organize a gift-making party among your family and friends, recycling and repurposing materials while making a personalized gift for a loved one.

Environment – Knowing and Loving Place. Packaging material is the number one use of paper. This year, consider giving a gift that doesn’t come packaged in paper or plastic. My favorite gift as a child was movie tickets. There are a lot of gift options for the social bee in your life – concert tickets, hair cut, manicure/pedicure, sports tickets, lift tickets, and more. Consider eliminating the packaging from your material gifts, or saving this years’ wrapping paper to use again next year.