Grandma will never guess what's inside this package.
A set of festive holly-trimmed goblets? Nope.
A red and green bejeweled sweatshirt? Naw.
A bottle of perfume to leave her smelling like fresh-baked gingerbread? Wrong again.
How about -- surprise -- a flock of cute, fuzzy yellow chicks? Or yards of mosquito netting, a water purifier, or seeds to plant a vegetable garden?
Welcome to alternative gift giving. None of these practical items are actually inside Grandma's box, but they could be on their way to needy folks around the world, thanks to donations made in Grandma's name.
Rather than buying more gadgets, gizmos or sweaters during the holidays, some are turning to gifts targeted at the health and well-being of others, says Ray White, public relations director for Heifer International in Little Rock, Ark.
"It's a good way to give gifts to people in your life that you think have everything," adds Zeenat Potia, press officer for OxFam America in Boston.
And there's no worry about these gifts being the right size or the right color. No pesky returns, either. In most cases, your recipient will receive a simple card or certificate announcing the gift made in his or her name.
Want to give it a try? Here's our sampling of six organizations offering alternative gifts in all shapes, sizes -- and smells.
Heifer
To: Uncle Paul, the farmer
From: Heifer International
Cost: $50-$500
That's right, you can give a whole heifer -- or young cow -- to a malnourished family who needs milk. And the family can sell the extra milk to help buy basics like clothing or medicine.
Furthermore, says spokesman Ray White, "Animals reproduce -- that's the secret of Heifer (International). If you give somebody a cow, in another year you will have another cow."
That first offspring must be passed on to another family in need, thus helping whole communities lift themselves out of poverty and become self-reliant, the public relations director says in a phone interview from Little Rock, Ark.
A whole cow is $500, but you can buy a "share" of a cow for $50. Other alternative gifts include chickens, pigs, honeybees, water buffalo (for "draft power") and wool-producing animals like llamas or sheep.
To shop: www.heifer.org, (800) 422-0474
Ponderosa pine
To: Cousin Jean, the nature-lover
From: The Arbor Day Foundation
Cost: $10 (for 10 trees)
Unlike a new golf shirt, this gift won't shrink or wear out in six months. This Ponderosa pine -- or a Jeffrey pine, Incense-cedar, red fir or white fir -- will be planted in one of our national forests to grow for decades to come.
"It's a gift to honor the gift recipient, but it's also a gift to the Earth .... it's a living, lasting gift that's going to make our world greener not only today, but for generations," says Woodrow L. Nelson, vice president of communications for the Arbor Day Foundation in Lincoln, Neb.
The foundation works with the U.S. Forest Service to plant trees in areas hit by wildfires, disease or insect infestations. In 2009, Nelson says, more than 900,000 trees were planted in Plumas National Forest in northeastern California.
To shop: www.arborday.org, (888) 448-7337
Soccer balls
To: Co-worker Maggie, the sports nut
From: World Vision
Cost: $16
Yes, kids who are hungry definitely need a meal on the table, but they also need "the gift of playtime," says Laura Blank,
media relations manager of World Vision in Boston.
That $16 donation will buy two soccer balls. Or you could also choose basic items like shoes, diapers, books or medicine.
World Vision's 2009 gift catalog includes more projects that benefit girls and women, as well as more projects in the United States, Blank says.
Folks enjoy helping others all over the world, but Blank says, "Especially now, with a recession, they also want to help people here."
To shop: www.worldvisiongifts.org, (888) 511-6511
Parrot food
To: Nephew Josh, the animal lover
From: Best Friends Animal Society
Cost: $25
Quetzl is a 50-something African Grey parrot who never adjusted to being a pet after her capture from the wild. When her owner passed away from old age, this parrot found a new home at Utah's well-known animal sanctuary.
This "ornery and independent" girl needs a sponsor -- as do many other birds, dogs, cats and farm animals living at the Kanab sanctuary. There are even wild animals, like Gracey the goose and Elfin the white-tailed antelope squirrel.
Some animals need assistance until they find a home; others are nonadoptable and will be permanent residents at Best Friends, says Barbara Williamson, media relations manager.
"Best Friends is the home of second chances. ... Every one of them has their own story," Williamson says.
To shop: www.bestfriends.org (click on "giving"), (435) 644-2001
Mosquito nets
To: Sister Pat, the nurse
From: International Rescue Committee
Cost: $18
Protect a refugee family in Africa from malaria with this practical gift that never goes out of style.
Or you could spend a little more ($35) and give a warm winter coat to a newly resettled refugee in the United States -- maybe even someone living in Utah.
The International Rescue Committee, which works to better the lives of refugees, has an office in Salt Lake City that has recently assisted Burmese, Bhutanese and Iraqi refugees, says Janet Harris, vice president of development, in a phone interview from New York City.
Other holiday gifts from this group include tools to help with rebuilding in emergency relief efforts or birthing kits to aid refugee mothers in safe home deliveries.
To shop: www.fromharmtohome.org, 1-877-REFUGEE
Desk and chair
To: Neighbor Ron, the teacher
From: OxFam America
Cost: $35
No batteries required, just a sturdy chair and desk where a school child can sit and study.
Education gifts are one of the most popular in OxFam America's alternative package, says Zeenat Potia, press officer for the Boston-based organization. Folks also like to give schoolbooks, garden seeds and animals like goats and sheep.
But this year's standout on the "wish list" is nothing less than good ol' manure. Yup, if you think holiday shopping stinks, Potia says you can prove it by giving a pile of manure -- just $12 -- to provide cheap, green fertilizer for poor farmers in countries like Cambodia.
"I know people who are giving it to their in-laws, or giving it to their children," Potia says.
You could even pair it up with another catalog item -- bars of soap, also $12.
To shop: www.oxfamamericaunwrapped.com, (800) 850-7608
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