Having opted out of the commercialization and consumerism of the holiday season eight years ago, I was thrilled to learn of this newly created movement.  Our family no longer buys unwanted and unnecessary gifts.  We take turns selecting a charitable organization to contribute to.  Our children determine the amount they wish to give from their personal savings and we match it.  Our extended family is notified of the charity and each contributes what they can to it.  Some of us have taken to creating holiday ornaments that commemorate who chose the charity which charity it was, and the year of giving.  It's a beautiful and growing collection of ornaments.

Then, we spend time together creating memories.  Generally, we travel together.  It's amazing how much more relaxing the holiday season is, how good we feel about it, and how wonderful it is to see our children grow and develop through giving and learning about the world.

 Recently I learned of a relatively new movement, #GivingTuesday.  Its concept mirrors what 100+ Women Who Care - NRV is all about - the desire to harness the energy, caring, and power to give as a group in a single point in time.

"Started by charities in 2012, #GivingTuesday refers to the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It began as a movement to create a national day of giving (it is now global!) to kick off the giving season as a response to the commercialization and consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday, has become an annual effort to harness the collective power of a unique blend of partners – charities, families, businesses and individuals – to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season."

We hope you will catch the power and join us at our holiday-themed quarterly giving meeting held on December 10 at the Blacksburg Public Library (6-7p.m.).  Happy holidays and best wishes for a healthy, happy, and fruitful 2015.

Alexa & Beth