What’s in your treasure box?
That’s the question of the moment.
You know what I’m talking about: that box of special trinkets you’ve been adding to since you were a child.
I’m betting there are some classroom photos from elementary school, maybe a lanyard that your BFF made you at 6th grade camp, a homemade coupon book from a younger sibling, ticket stubs from a Pink Floyd laser light show, a love note from your first significant other, your Boy Scout or Girl Scout sash loaded up with patches, a scorecard from the day the Red Sox overcame their 86 year losing streak and won the World Series, a photo of the woman you gave a Kiva loan to, and maybe even some pressed flowers from a special event like a quince or a wedding.
You know what I bet is NOT in that box of treasures? That Hungry Hungry Hippos game you BEGGED for. The Debbie Gibson cassette tape you NEEEEDED. Your first Pet Rock. A necktie. Tickle Me Elmo.
The things that are truly worth treasuring are the things that money can’t buy. They are memories, experiences, things people made for you, things that fill up your heart, and things that replenish your soul.
I challenge you this holiday season to fill up someone’s treasure box instead of adding to their clutter and the piles of stuff that weigh them down. This challenge officially begins on November 28th, which is not just Cyber Monday, but also Green Gift Monday.
The Nature Conservancy created Green Gift Monday in 2010 to raise awareness for green gifting options and to provide ideas like making a charitable donation, purchasing eco-friendly gifts, or making homemade gifts. You can also give the gift of an experience, which could be anything from season tickets to the opera, membership to a museum, a year’s worth of music via a cloud-based subscription service, or a few sessions with a life coach.
As part of your green gifting you can choose to support Sungevity’s Every Child Has a Light program, which provides solar light to rural schools in Zambia, allowing children to study after sundown. For just $22 you can buy a light and join the critical fight against energy poverty.
Join the Green Gift Monday movement by signing The Nature Conservancy’s pledge to give green this year and then share some of your own green gift ideas.