Many gifts that will be exchanged this holiday season will be forgotten before the ornaments have been packed away for another year.
But there are some you can give that will have a lasting impact. Although there are no guarantees, any of the following can potentially change someone's life for the better.
1. An engagement ring
Getting married is a big deal, and not just because you have to learn to refer to your squeeze as "my husband" or "my wife."Marriage can be good for your financial health.
People who get and stay married build up twice the wealth of those who remained single, according to one study. But be warned: Those who divorce wind up with far less wealth than comparable single folks.
The lesson is clear: Choose your spouse well.
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Also, don't buy the diamond industry's propaganda that you have to spend a certain number of paychecks on the ring. Buy what you can afford, which means what you can pay for in cash. If you have to go into debt to buy a ring, you're paying too much.
The same goes for the wedding, by the way. Starting out your new life in debt is a bad precedent.
2. A pet
Pets can be good for our health and our psyches, improving blood pressure and reducing loneliness.Pets offer particular benefits to children, increasing their ability to empathize and get along with others.
Then be prepared for your life to change.
Stephanie Harding-Rink of Battle Ground, Wash., got her first dog at age 10. It was the Christmas after her father, who refused to let her get a dog, left the family. She had the pooch for 12 years.
"It is amazing what a dog can do for you in the middle of a very emotional time," Harding-Rink said. "Especially when your voice is not heard, the dog will always be there to listen."
Paula Hodge Chadick of Puyallup, Wash., agreed.
"When I was going through a very difficult separation, my mom, who is not a dog lover, went to the pound and found my son and I a standard poodle," Chadick wrote. "Both her thoughtfulness and his unending affection brought us through a very difficult time."
3. An organ donation
Mike Rappaport of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., had three daughters, a marketing business that employed 50 people -- and end-stage liver disease. A transplant in September 2009 saved his life."It sounds like a cliché, but I learned to appreciate every day," said Rappaport, 50, who is a single father of girls aged 12, 17 and 18. "I'm happy to have the opportunity to have problems. (Otherwise) I wouldn't be here to deal with the fact that my daughter wants to stay out until midnight."
Every single day, 19 people die waiting for organ transplants. Though you can't exactly put a bodily organ under someone's Christmas tree, you may be able to save or improve a life by:
- Signing up as an organ donor with your state's donor registry.
- Designating your decision when you apply for or renew your driver's license.
- Talking to your family about your decision so that they can be prepared to follow your wishes.
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