This year, give a gift that really matters

What do you want for Christmas?

That might be a common question as the holidays approach, but a new poll has found that most adults really don't want more "stuff" and would prefer that gift budgets be invested in more worthy causes. Seventy-nine percent of respondents in the poll said they would prefer a donation to a charity in their honor than a gift they wouldn't use.

The poll also found that most Americans think it's important to continue to give to charitable organizations, even in times of economic distress. Despite static incomes and rising expenses, most Americans want to give to charities and plan to do so this year.

The American Red Cross has an answer for those who want to give something that matters for their Christmas gifts. The Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog, which is available online at www.redcross.org, shows what donations of different sizes can provide for Red Cross clients. Twenty dollars, for example, can provide a phone card for a deployed soldier to call home.Thirty dollars can provide blankets for five disaster victims. One hundred dollars will provide hot meals for 10 people in a disaster shelter. Print copies of the Holiday Giving Catalog are available at local Red Cross chapters.

Give a gift that really matters. Your family and friends will appreciate it more than another doo-dad or trinket.

Thank a veteran

Veterans Day is fast approaching, and the American Red Cross reminds everyone to show your appreciation for what veterans have done for this country and for you. This link offers some suggestions of ways to thank a veteran. The first suggestion on the list is to sign a card that will go to an active duty service member or veteran as part of the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign.

Visitors to the Red Cross tent at Wilson's Whirligig Festival this weekend (Nov. 5-6) will have the opportunity to sign a holiday card that will be distributed to a service member, wounded service member, veterans hospital patient or veteran. Other card-signing events are planned throughout the region until Dec. 9. Individuals can send cards directly to the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign by sending a signed cards (no gifts, money or other inserts are allowed) to Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456. Cards will be screened for biohazards in accordance with Pentagon regulations and distributed to recipients at home and abroad.