This Christmas give the gift of Life: Clean water for the world

Christams is meant to be a special time. Everyone wants Christmas to be meaningful, yet more ofton than not it is reduced to a season of : stress, chaotic shopping, credit cards, to do lists, short tempers, debt, and useless gifts. Sometimes, I honestly feel lucky to have simply survived another Christmas season, forget about merry, jolly joy and fond memories.

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The United States alone spends an estimated $450 billion dollars, every Christmas, every year. Imagine what the world spends each holiday season.

Are you starting to get the picture? What if instead of buying so many useless gifts: the ugly sweater she won't like, the last minute random gift certificate, the newest electronic gadget to replace the "outdated" one from six months ago, and the latest toy he doesn't need.

What if instead of buying so many gifts, we gave something truly wanted, needed, and valued: TIME laughing, loving, reading, cooking, playing, walking, snuggling, dancing, creating, biking, singing, and loving TOGETHER.

Can you imagine how joyous Christmas would be? Now, after enjoying less stress, less debt, less chaos, and more love, happiness, and dear memories, let's get back to talking about the money we DIDN'T SPEND.

What if we gave some of it to the poor, the lonely, the sick, the hungry, and the THIRSTY. Each and every year, lack of clean water kills more people, everyday than anything else in the world.

At least 1.1 billion people in the world live without clean drinking water. 2.6 billion people live without proper waste and sanitation systems. What is even sadder is the many simple and economic solutions which are being ignored; these deaths and illnesses could be prevented.

Water related diseases kill a child every eight seconds and are responsible for 80% of all illnesses and deaths in the developing world---a situation made all the more tragic by our long standing knowledge that these diseases are easily preventable. United Nations

Experts estimate it would cost $10 billion dollars to provide the world access to clean water. The entire world could be blessed with clean water and sanitation if everyone in the world who has these basic, essential services donated $2 U.S. dollars to those who don't.

One family doesn't spend two dollars, but gives it. Do you see what could happen? Let's get back to the joy of Christmas. Let's enjoy laughter, love, and life TOGETHER. Let's remember our many blessings and give to those who are truly in need.

This Christmas, let's spend less on gifts and more on presence.