Somewhere in Africa, there’s a goat with an unsuspecting Kenyan family’s name on it. I adopted the valuable animal for them after coming across the idea in a holiday catalog from the non-profit group Heifer International. But the gift wasn’t only for the rural Kenyan family; it was also for my own.

When I told my kids—ages 8, 5, and 5—that one of their coveted Hanukkah presents would be rerouted to a needier family, they were confused at first, then entranced. My son was eager to plot Kenya on a globe, while my twin daughters schemed about ways of sending comfy animal beds overseas. It inspired more discussion than a typical holiday gift, even one that doubles as a cell phone, giggles when shook, or can bake small cakes. I just hope Heifer International tapes a gift receipt to the goat’s belly in case the receiving family wants to trade up for a llama. 

Offering gifts to less fortunate strangers feels right, but it’s still pretty unusual. Holiday compassion, which most of us value but seldom practice, is the opposite of holiday commercialism, which most of us practice, but never value. Growing up Jewish, I’ve never really connected holiday compassion to Hanukkah. The Festival of Lights focuses on the story of Jews who, for lack of an all-night convenience store, ran perilously low on olive oil, but managed to make what they had last eight nights. I routinely have the same miraculous experience with my toothpaste, but I keep that to myself. 

In my contemporary extended family, we try to respect everyone’s cultural leanings. My kids and I light a menorah, but also exchange gifts on Christmas morning. We spin dreidels, but also gawk at elaborate decorations on neighboring houses. We focus a little too much on presents, but also…focus a little too much on presents. But connecting the holiday to acts of selfless generosity, like giving a goat, creates no messy religious inconsistencies, unless the said goat is a Scientologist. 

“The thing about giving a goat—or a llama, or a cow—for the holidays is that it restores the balance between giving and getting,” Ray White, public information director at Heifer International told me. “It really honors the spirit of the season as a time to think of others and to reach out to those who are less fortunate.”  

Our new Kenyan friends don’t need to be thinking of me and my kids when their gift arrives, though they can pay it forward. The great thing about this kind of program is that recipients traditionally “pass on” their animals’ offspring to others in their community. It’s a beautiful concept, and it isn’t even considered re-gifting! Try that with an Xbox.

My main hope is that through our gift, the Kenyan family realizes there are parts of the world where, come holiday time, caring families will still go out and practice compassion alongside religion and frenzied holiday shopping.

And as long as those people are out shopping, they should pick up some extra olive oil, just in case.

The father of an eight year-old son and twin five year-old girls, Joel Schwartzberg is an award-winning freelance writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, New Jersey Monthly, the New York Daily News, and elsewhere. He lives in Montclair, New Jersey and may be reached through his website at jesttokill.com.

Do Your Research Before Giving

by Denise Springer

According to Giving USA, an annual report compiled by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, Americans gave $295.02 billion to their favorite causes in 2006. Almost $223 billion of those donations were given by individual or household donors.

But when you donate, how do you know you’re giving wisely? Before you write that check, visit the BBB Wise Giving Alliance at Give.org and click on “Charity Reports.” There you’ll find an extensive list of national charities, each with a report about how funds are raised and spent. Toward the end of every report is the “uses of funds as a percentage of total expenses” breakdown. Some consider a charity well-managed if at least 75% of funds are spent on programs.