(In my mind you are listening to this song as you read this post… so just hit “play” and then scroll down and read, k? All right, if you must have an 80’s flashback and laugh at Bono’s mullet first, go ahead, but then play it again and read!)

It’s not Christmas for me until I hear this song… and as I was jamming out to this classic Christmas song the other day I had this image of children – not just in Africa but all over the world – and thought about all the great organizations that are out there changing lives and making the world better. And I love how so many of them make it easy for us to give at Christmas by creating alternative gift catalogs where you can buy a goat or pay for one child’s education and it sort of makes a monetary gift feel more tangible. It’s especially great for teachers or family members who you really don’t know what they want or need. And with only 9 shopping days left these make perfect last minute gifts too! So here’s a short list of my favorites:

World Vision has a wide range of gift options from the standard gift of a goat ($75) to giving assistance and shelter for victims of sexual exploitation(suggested donation $35).
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World Concern has goats for only $35 and a huge variety of other gifts, including care for one AIDS orphan ($89)
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We love to do the Shoebox project through Samaritan’s Purse but somehow we missed that this year. But we can also give gifts from their catalog and some are so cheap my kids can even buy them, likeFeed a hungry baby for a week for only $9 or Sports Gear for only $8.
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My daughter R~’s class asked parents to give to Heifer International in lieu of teacher gifts this year. R~ especially loved that she could give toward a water buffalo for a Cambodian family.
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Tabitha is an organization close to our hearts, in part because my friend CC runs the US arm of it, but mostly because they are doing amazing work in Cambodia. One of my favorite gifts from Tabitha is a well for only $100-$150. It’s just so cool to get a certificate saying a well was built in your name that will serve five families – talk about a lasting gift!
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If you or your loved ones prefer to give closer to home, a great charity is your local Union Gospel Mission. Our local Mission, the Seattle Union Gospel Mission provides not only meals and shelter for the area’s homeless but also job training, recovery programs, legal services, dental services, and a lot more.

Feed the world. Let them know it’s Christmas time. Trust me, your uncle will appreciate this gift a lot more than that Chia pet you’re looking at.