The beginnings of a discussion of poverty and the release of REI’s 2011 calendar

Christmas can be a time of great greed. It’s easy for even the most pious among us to get pulled into the trap of consumerism, filling up our houses with things we just don’t use or even need.

Yet, lately, there has been a trend to give Christmas gifts with purpose– gifts that point the giver and receiver to a broader picture and help take the focus off of “me.”

We applaud that trend at REI, and we have now jumped on the band wagon. If you are looking to give Christmas gifts with a purpose this year, then consider giving REI’s 2011 calendar to friends and family: REI’s latest 2011 calendar. As an organization that works in countries that are often mired in extreme poverty, we are humbled and challenged as we think about the gifts under our own Christmas trees. We are by no means poor ourselves. In fact, the World Bank ranked the USA as the fifth richest nation in the world in 2009 with a GDP per capita of $46,436, above Canada, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.