Getting or giving?

 

The holiday season is definitely upon us, and for some of us it’s stressful. For others it’s sheer joy. It sort of snuck up on me this year—and I’m scrambling.

I remember sitting in Santa’s lap to tell him about the Betsy Wetsy doll or Dale Evans cowgirl outfit I yearned for, then writing him letters in case he might forget. Once I was older, Aunt Jeanette took me Christmas shopping in downtown Minneapolis. I warm at the memory of walking beside her down Nicollet Avenue in a snowfall, marveling at the sparkly Christmas window displays before ducking into Woolworth’s. My $5 didn’t go far with three grandparents, two parents, and three siblings (and one special aunt), but I did my best. Once home, I’d hide out in my room to wrap my gifts, then proudly place them under the tree. My heart pounded as each of my offerings was opened. Giving was getting fun.

As an adult, I find gift-giving a challenge. I’m worthless at choosing the perfect gifts, maybe because shopping is one of my least favorite activities. I now understand why my grandparents reverted to cash in an envelope. I may do that this year, too.

This young lady is a Kiva loan recipient from Togo. Kiva is a non-profit that plays a huge role in promoting businesses for people in third world countries. Since 2005, Kiva has crowd-funded more than 1.6 million loans, totaling over $1.33 billion, with a repayment rate of 95.8 percent. Over 1.8 million lenders worldwide use the Kiva platform. Lenders do not receive interest on the money they lend. Photo courtesy of Ann Mershon

Getting gifts. Hmmm… What do I want? What do I need?

Nothing, actually. I’m fortunate to have everything I need, and anyway, we’re running out of space to store more stuff. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy receiving gifts, especially from my sister, who always manages to find the gift I didn’t realize I wanted. My new rule is that every new item I bring in means something goes out. That works.

A few years ago, my husband and I decided to switch to donations instead of gifts, at least for the adults on our list. With millions less fortunate than us across the planet, that seems the best destination for our holiday dollars.

For the past two years I’ve purchased and printed gift certificates for Kiva.org, an impressive online microloan organization. That felt great. Getting the recipients to use them, however, wasn’t so great. For some reason they found it hard to get to the computer and choose a recipient for their $50 or $100.

This year I’ve purchased gifts for the little people on our Christmas list, and I’ve made the Kiva loans myself for all the adults. I like choosing individuals to fund—I usually choose women. This year, the adults on our list will get a photo and description of the individual from Haiti, Kenya, or Madagascar who received a loan in their honor.

The beauty of Kiva is that after each person repays your loan, you can re-lend it to another deserving recipient. I’ve been donating to Kiva for 11 years, ever since I taught a unit on world hunger. I’ve made a total of 62 loans, many of them re-loans. The repayment rate on my loans has been 99.8 percent. Impressive.

So—if you’re scrambling for a last minute (or belated) gift and want to give something that will make a difference, consider Kiva.

Giving is way more fun than getting.