Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Coco Warner reporting Does the idea of neighborhood gift-giving this holiday season automatically increase your stress? It does for a lot of people. But what if there's an alternative?
It's a great concept in theory-- what better way to show your neighbors how much you appreciate them? And it is the season of giving. But, coming up with a good idea and then paying for it all can sometimes be a little much. Luckily, there may be another solution.
Want to automatically increase the heart rate of those around you-- ask what they are doing for their neighbors this holiday season. It's otherwise known as neighborhood gifting.
Jenny Layton: "It just seems like so much extra stress that you have to come up with, some clever thing to pass around. And depending on the kind of neighborhood you live in-- I know in our neighborhood there are 30 to 40 people I could be giving to."
Janice Pehrson: "I think there's so much going on that time of year, and to think of one more thing. I think most people think it's a stressful thing. It can also be very costly."
So in the last few years, one Kaysville neighborhood decided to make a new tradition in lieu of neighborhood gift-giving.
Jenny Layton: "We've taken all the effort and the time and the money we would have ordinarily put into giving neighborhood gifts, and asked the neighborhood if they'd like to participate in a Sub for Santa."
Jenny says the response has been overwhelmingly positive. She passes out a notice letting her fellow neighbors know what's on the Christmas wish list of the families that are being sponsored, and people donate gifts or money.
And in Janice Pehrson's last neighborhood, she organized an open house.
Janice Pehrson: "Send out an invitation and let them know, in lieu of neighborhood gifts, let's get together and have a money tree, and the money that is donated will be given to a local charity."
If you decide to go the open house route, you can ask people to bring over goodies, to make the whole process even easier.
So, here are some suggestions:
- Consider participating in a Sub for Santa program
- Organize an open house-- and then donate to a charity.
- KSL's Quarters for Christmas is a great example...
- If you do decide to give something-- make it non-perishable.
- During this time of year, people can be bombarded with treats. Coming up tomorrow, I'll cover ways to keep healthy during the holidays.
