Carol Willis is a freelance writer and editor. She specializes in written communications for businesses and nonprofits and other editorial projects. Carol also is the development director at Church Community Services.

“Christmas Green”

My dad taught me it was rude to ask how much someone earned or tell how much a gift cost. Money is an emotion-laden topic.

At Christmas we perversely celebrate Christ’s incarnation by spending money we don’t have on gifts people don’t even need.

Stop the insanity! As Dolly Levi said in the musical Hello Dolly, “Money, pardon the expression, is like manure. It’s no good unless it’s spread around, encouraging young things to grow.”

Organic fertilizer is a byproduct of life. Stockpiling manure would result in needing to build barns for it instead of for the harvest, and the stink would make you unpopular with your neighbors.

Money is a byproduct of life’s work. Hoarded money serves no good purpose, and hoarders have few friends. Witness Ebenezer Scrooge.

Manure fertilizes the next crop of feed for livestock, which in turn produces more manure. Continuity requires this reinvestment, if you will. Likewise, wise money management includes savings and investments. But there has to be a crop besides manure. There has to be fruit beyond more money.

Fertilizer laces the soil with nutrients that plants need to thrive and produce fruit. Without sustenance, growth can’t happen. Money feeds our own families and allows us to share with those in need.

Manure loosens the soil and makes the difference between subsistence farming and flourishing. Likewise money can provide hope, options, and possibilities. At gift giving time, we can use money to give opportunities. Invest in education, entrepreneurs, even counseling to help “young things” conquer life’s obstacles.

The result of skillful farmers spreading manure? Abundance that flows outward and strengthens many. I’m not a farmer, but I think accomplishing this would be the biggest blessing of the profession.

I am a nonprofit fundraiser, and I’ve got to tell you, this nurturing of growth and abundance is what fuels me. I love being part of the process by which people can choose to spread their “green manure” around, encouraging young things to grow.

Here’s to abundance, not consumerism, this Christmas season and beyond.