Gift in a new way. Photo courtesy of Temari 09 on flickr.com.

Every year, I struggle with Christmas shopping. I’ve become jaded with the capitalistic elements in the past few years, annoyed with commercials and advertising. So, a few years ago my family and I began a new way of giving gifts.

Instead of buying gifts for all our friends and family, we pool the money we plan to spend and donate to a few charities. This is not a new trend, but it is something nonprofits and charities are beginning to capitalize on themselves.

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