Practical items can include preparedness items. Holiday gift-giving opportunities abound, so now is a perfect time to share emergency preparedness as a loving, caring act, rather than a fear-driven, anxiety-raising action. Gifts that can make your friends, family, colleagues or clients safer can range from: free acts of service (programming cell phones with emergency info) to low-cost items (keychain whistles and flashlights) to a wide range of pricier items (digital cameras, disaster kits, generators, etc.). Remember that the context of your message will matter more than the size or cost of the gift. Give someone you love a whistle: not because a disaster may strike, but to help them walk the world feeling safer, more confident, able to call for help, warn others, thwart a crime or otherwise be the hero you know them to be.

This holiday season, give the gift of safety to your family. Be the one to:

• Champion safety and preparedness for your family
• Make preparedness about love, not about fear
• Have your family walk the world feeling safe and prepared

Go back to those weekend sale ads and look through them with a different frame of mind. Think creatively to discover all the ways that simple steps you take today will make all the difference tomorrow.
Be the hero that keeps your family safe and secure. A little ingenuity could save your life.

Happy shopping to you, and with all the hustle and bustle, don't forget the real reason for the season!