# 1212
With the Holiday Season rapidly approaching, the question on everyone's mind is what to get as gifts for friends and relatives this year. I know, shopping is a hassle (well, I understand some people enjoy it), and coming up with something unique or special isn't easy.
Just how many sweaters and neckties can a person need?
While I can hardly be described as a survivalist with a bunker mentality, I do believe in preparedness, and am amazed how ill equipped most people are to handle even a simple emergency. Last year I decided that, among my circle of friends and relatives, this made gift-giving a piece of cake.
Now when holidays or birthdays roll around, I give preparedness gifts. Not only will they be useful to have around during a pandemic or other crisis, they are more fun to buy than summer sausage and cheese gift packs.
The great thing is, some of these items can be had for just a few dollars.
Last year I ran across a closeout on those shake flashlights. You know, the ones with the LED bulbs, that you shake for a minute and you get 10 or 15 minutes of light. No batteries needed. They normally sell for about $5 each, but these were just .77 cents at a closeout store.
I bought 40 of them.
Nearly half I sent to a friend in California, and I'm told he gave them out during the recent fires in San Diego, mostly to kids. He reports they were particularly well received, and helped calm a lot of fears.
The rest I gave as stocking stuffers to friends and relatives.
I ran across a deal on LED headlamps, and bought about 20 of them for $2 apiece. Hands free light can be a real plus in a crisis. These too ended up in a number of people's Christmas and birthday packs.
I bought my daughter a combination windup/battery/solar AM/FM/SW radio for Christmas. Under $40, and she loves it. Uses it every day.
Every home should have a battery operated radio, yet many do not.
For Christmas last year I put together some first aid kits, and distributed them to a number of friends and relatives.
And for a handful of people, I purchased some ceramic water filters, for about $40 each.
During the year I keep my eye out for bargains such as these, and stock up when I find things on sale. Recently I picked up a number of LED lanterns for $3 apiece. They are particularly nice, and run about 40 hours on a set of AA batteries.
Recently we had a power outage in my neighborhood that lasted a few hours. I knocked on doors and handed out these little gems. I'm happy to report that the next morning, I got most of them back.
These are all useful, indeed, potentially lifesaving items, that most people simply don't think about needing until it is too late. Giving them as gifts, instead of more traditional items, not only helps prepare the people you love and care about for an emergency, it opens the door for conversations about pandemic preparedness.
We need to cultivate a culture of preparedness in this country, and around the world.
We can start doing that, one gift at a time.
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