At the end of this year, hopefully you find yourself more prepared than you were at the beginning of the year. Being prepared gives a sense of well-being and satisfaction. Why not share the peace that comes from being prepared with friends and family? Imagine if a terrible disaster were to strike your community or your extended family. What do you wish they had to face this disaster? Is there something you can do this holiday season to make that possible?
What skills have you learned?
Share your new-found talents with homemade gifts: knit or crochet a scarf, washcloth or potholder; sew some personalized pillow cases or aprons. Or give a gift from the kitchen: home-canned jams, jellies, salsas and chutneys are always welcomegifts, as are homemade bread, cookies or pies.
Make being prepared easy
But also consider a gift that will help your loved ones get more prepared: first aid kits, a 72-hour kit, an emergency kit for the car, an emergency radio or hand-cranked flashlight for emergencies. For food storage, give a boxed supply of food or tools that help with food preparation (such as a dehydrator, canner or vacuum sealer.) Or help someone get started with gardening by giving them seed-starting trays, garden tools or a basket of heirloom seeds. If you (or your recipient) don’t know where to start with preparedness, you might give them reference or how-to books.
On a limited budget?
Your gift of preparedness doesn’t need to cost money. You can give a personalized gift coupon promising the recipient your help with learning to can or starting a garden. Skills are the most important part of being prepared and the best way to learn a new skill is to have a patient tutor. Give a certificate to help someone learn new skills and it will be an invaluable gift.
Need more ideas?
I written about preparedness gifts here, here, and here. This is my list of most important books on preparedness topics. I have two posts about my homemade gift here and here. Hopefully these will give you ideas of what you can do for others (and perhaps you’ll see something you’d like Santa to bring you.)
And I have a gift for you
Here’s a Christmas cookbook, filled with dozens of recipes that are perfect for gift giving as well as your family celebrations. And it’s free for the month of December. My gift to you. Just enter code CHRISTMAS at checkout.
It doesn’t take a lot of time or money to help someone get started with preparedness and it is a gift that will bless someone’s life for years to come.
