Dawn Franks

Catalog shopping is a finely honed skill. And it’s not a surprise since most of us kicked it up a notch after weathering the shutdown of 2020 and the loss of mom-and-pop shops we frequented. So, our mailboxes are overflowing with more catalogs.

We may need special assistance at our house to transport the mail from the curb to the kitchen table as the stack of catalogs grows daily. Unfortunately, how catalog retailers view us and the science they employ to increase our response isn’t helping.

What happened to early predictions about internet use and a paperless world dependent on email, easy searches, and social media? It would take over communication, education, and shopping, making life much easier.

Someone was wrong. Even Amazon, the most successful online retailer the world has ever known, sent a catalog last year.

As I write this article, somewhere, a research company is testing what parts of our brain light up as we flip through glossy pages filled with our every dream and convenience. Mail-order retailers hope we’ll purchase at least one item for every catalog mailed. Only one. Judging by how often the FedEx and UPS trucks roam our neighborhood, their math must work.

Shopping statistics suggest seventy percent of us are shopping online right now.

On reflection, I realize I was primed for this moment from early childhood. The Sears and Roebuck Co. and the J.C. Penney catalogs were fixtures in our home. The toy section was well-worn. The girls’ clothing pages provided countless dress design ideas for my mother and her Singer sewing machine.

While still in elementary school, the first J.C. Penney Christmas catalog arrived. The Sears Wish catalog had been around since the thirties, but now my brother and I had two catalogs to study before writing letters to Santa.

So, here we are today with piles of catalogs and only one retail question to answer – will she buy or not buy? And then to buy gifts for others or give in to my own desires and spend on myself.

One catalog stands out from all the others: the Heifer International Gift Catalogue and Giving Guide. Heifers, goats, pigs, and chickens fill the pages along with pictures of recipients. This buying opportunity is a gift to families, women entrepreneurs, children, anyone I might honor, and me. It’s at least a two-for-one.

Several years ago, our family lost Kayla, only thirteen years old, to leukemia. I learned at her funeral that one of her life goals was to own a herd of heifers, and she was already saving money to make good on that dream. But Kayla was also a child with a kind and caring heart, always looking for ways to help others.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to purchase a heifer in her memory by donating to Heifer International. And, getting into the spirit, I had to include a flock of chicks. The good feelings that accompanied my donation were a gift to me. The milk cow feeds a family, and the chicks provide food and eggs to sell at the market. That was my gift to reduce poverty in parts of the world I will never see. And the honor went to a child who left an indelible mark on the world in only a few years.

With the holidays upon us, it’s the perfect time to remember or recognize family and friends. Your gift sends messages of hope and encouragement by honoring a cause they value or an organization where they volunteer.

Nonprofit organizations everywhere are wrapping up fundraising for the year and will be glad to share news of your gift with friends and family. Look for an organization you trust or can verify is healthy and safe. Give well with a gift of hope this holiday season. Make time to remember someone.