For Whom the Bell Rings: Giving Tuesday

If you have been on any form of social media today, you have likely noticed a few #givingtuesday’s popping up here and there.

This little know holiday was the brainchild of a New York nonprofit called 92nd Street Y that decided to launch a different kind of commercial holiday in response to consumer driven insanity of Black Friday followed by a weekend of frantic shopping the concludes with the ever growing Cyber Monday.

Giving Tuesday started as a grassroots movement last year to promote a holiday that was focused solely on giving back after the frantic shopping of the start-of-the-holidays madness that ensues right after Thanksgiving.

The movement is in its second year. After starting in 2012 with 2,500 partner organizations, this year about 10,000 groups participating in this movement of generosity.

Giving Tuesday is a movement, not an organization. Charities and other groups participate under the “Giving Tuesday” banner in a mission to remind people what the holiday season is really about.

Black Friday grabbed headline yet again this year as companies decided to open on
Thanksgiving evening, with some stores opening at 4 p.m. (That leaves hardly enough time to digest your turkey and sweet potatoes, let alone enjoy a nice slice of pumpkin pie with your family!).

After spending a full weekend of buying, buying, buying, even if it is for gifts and then turning around and ordering more things online on Monday, it is comforting to know that there is a growing movement in this country to focus on giving back.

This country is built on the machine of consumerism and capitalism, we have the ability to buy whatever we want whenever we want (and now we can get it even faster with this Amazon drone thing that Bezos has dreamed up). But is that always a good thing?

With Black Friday deals starting so early, we don’t even get time to finish going around the table saying what we are thankful for before Aunt Linda is dragging Tom and Mary out the door to go get that iPad she saw was on sale.

The holidays are about being thankful for what you have, for taking time to spend with your family, and for doing those silly traditions like breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve.

Now I am not saying that we should stop buying gifts or toss the tree out with the trash, I am simply saying that we should take equal time to think about all of the blessings we have and maybe take a few seconds today to donate to an organization close to our hearts.

And just to prove that I am not just saying all of this, I decided to make a donation to the Humane Society of the United States because I know how much my pets mean to me and I don’t know how people can treat them the way they do. And if you don’t believe me, here is a screen shot of my donation.