GODSTUFF:

NO NEED TO LOSE FAITH, HOLIDAY SHOPPERS

“Are those all CATALOGS?” I asked earlier this week, pointing to the pile, at least a foot high, of shiny periodicals balanced precariously on the dining room table.

I’d been out of town for a while, and mail tends to back up, but I’d only been gone for two weeks, not two months and there was a small mountain of two-dimensional holiday-gift options threatening to topple over and crush the cat.

I put them all in paper bags and placed them in the blue recycling bin next to the garage, without opening a single one. Not even the one from Harry & David with the chocolately nutty goodnesses on the cover.

Then . . . I came into the office. And there were more catalogs. But these, at least, were vaguely interesting in that they were spiritually themed lists of expensive holiday gifts and “stocking stuffers.”

So, taking one for the team, I perused them (so you don’t have to) and present here a few of my favorite selections from the world of spiritual giftiness for the 2006 Winter Holidays (including, but not limited to, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa [which is really more cultural than religious, I realize, but still], Yule, Eid-al-Adha and belatedly Bodhi Day).

Restore Sight to a Blind Person — $50< Through the marvelous Seva Foundation, you can pay for someone in places such as Tibet, Nepal, Tanzania or Cambodia to have the 15-minute eye surgery that will allow him or her to see again.

Now that’s a gift that truly keeps on giving. Visit www.seva.org for more information about their sight program and other humanitarian gift options.

The Metta Prayer cuff — $79I love jewelry, especially trinkets with meaning. This bauble caught my eye because of its simplicity and message, and that the prayer is on the inside, as if imprinting it on the wearer’s heart (or pulse). The bracelet is inscribed with the Metta Prayer, or the prayer for “Lovingkindess,” one of the central prayers of Buddhism, which says, in part:

May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.

The cuff can be purchased at www.dharmacrafts.com or (800) 794-9862

Hanukkah, Shmanukkah! by Esme Raji Codell and LeUyen Pham (illustrator) — $13.25 on Amazon.com
Chicago author Raji Codell spins a Jewish version of the “Christmas Carol” story, with the character Scroogemacher encountering the Rabbis of Hanukkahs Past, Present and Future in this charming book for children of all ages and faith traditions.

“Songs for Christmas” by Sufjan Stevens — $15.99-$50Hands down the best “Christmas” album I’ve bought in years. The iconoclastic performer Sufjan Stevens has collected 42 songs, from the well-known to the obscure in this thoroughly enchanting collection.

If you can find it, the five-CD box set (with accompanying 42-page booklet) will run you about $50, but I downloaded mine from iTunes for $15.99. Worth. Every. Penny.

Al Mukry (The Portable Digital Quran) — $89.95
Available through www.onlineislamicstore.com, this nifty gadget about the size of an average MP3 player allows you to travel with an entire Arabic recitation of the Quran.

Save a Reef (or a Forest) — $25 and upThrough the Nature Conservancy, you can adopt an acre of endangered rain forest (and, in effect, the community of leopards, elephants and colobus monkeys that live there) or a portion of biodiverse reef in the Asia-Pacific triangle known as the Coral Triangle. Surf on over (pun intended) to support.nature.org for more information.

Pocket Prayers — $9.95Stuff those stockings full of prayer with this collection of prayers and meditations from various sources and traditions, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro and Marcus Aurelius, assembled by June Cotter (best-selling author of Graces and House Blessings).

It’s the size and shape of a deck of cards, with colorful artwork on one side and inspirational quotes on the other. My favorite is a short prayer by Nita Penfold:

Let my small story connect with your larger one.

May we breathe with one breath.

May we make this day holy together.
Amen and amen.

Blessed holidays and happy shopping.

Copyright © The Sun-Times Newsgroup