We started with how to be a good neighbor in your own neighborhood during the holidays, then talked about how to extend cheer to the community. Today is all about how to be a good neighbor to the world this holiday season.

1. Use LED lights for light displays. According to physorg.com, LEDs last five times longer than regular lights and use 75 percent less energy (the link has several more great environmental holiday ideas).
   

   The Severns-Pease Christmas Display (www.severex.com) in Sunnyvale, CA., uses LED lights.

2. Get creative about wrapping gifts. One friend of mine who wanted to reduce the amount of waste her family created during the holidays bought pretty fabric and sewed simple drawstring bags in various sizes to use for “wrapping” gifts. The bags are beautiful and will last for many years to come.
3. Show your support for a soldier or veteran. A group called Soldiers’ Angels needs help delivering 190,000 care packages to deployed soldiers this holiday season and needs donations. The USO has it’s own care package program. Another great clearinghouse of information for how to help both soldiers and veterans here and abroad is salutetoservice.org. You may even find volunteer jobs right in your own community listed at the site.
4. Give an alternative gift. For the person who has everything, you can donate to worthy causes in that person’s honor. You can visit the website of Alternative Gifts International to find an array of gifts that will help projects all over the world. Buy a cow or build a well for a village, or help education programs to build literacy. Or donate to nearly any cause you or the recipient believe in, and let that person know with a beautiful card.
5. Sponsor a child abroad. For a monthly donation, you can help improve the life of a child in another part of the world. My family has participated with Children International for many years, and there are other wonderful groups that have similar programs such as World Vision and Compassion.
6. Send a thank you to a former teacher, or greetings to friends far away you haven’t been in touch with for awhile. Let them know how much you appreciate them.
7. Think Fair Trade when holiday shopping. Fair Trade is an entire movement that is trying to help communities lift themselves out of property by offering fair prices for products produced using fair labor practices in environmentally sustainable ways. Fair Trade coffee is probably best known, but you can also purchase chocolate, teas, spices, dried fruits, nuts, olive oil and wine. Fair Trade USA has an excellent website to learn more.
8. Combine shopping errands to reduce fuel use. Plan out your shopping trips and try to come up with routes that use the least amount of gas (will probably help you save time, too!).
9. Pray for peace. Take a few minutes out of each day this season to pray for peace not only in the world, but in your own community and even your own family. Just the act of praying will bring you a few moments of peace in your own life.
10. Resolve to be a better neighbor to the world in the coming New Year. Make a new commitment to some act you haven’t tried before, like bringing reusable shopping bags to the store. Or think about conducting an energy audit for your home this year.

What have you tried? Let us know about it! And if you try anything on this list, please let us know how it goes.