I’m going to guess you’ve occasionally mentioned your preparedness activities to others.
Maybe you don’t go into every detail. You want to keep your supplies covert. And you don’t want to sound preachy. But you confide in folks close to you that you’re concerned about America’s future. And you want to be prepared for emergencies. Including extreme weather.
Now, most of these people will listen politely to what you say. But they won’t do anything about it for themselves. That’s fine. To each his (or her) own.
But when it comes to family members and close friends… Well, you care too much about them to let it go at a few comments. You don’t want them to struggle when the inevitable happens. And that’s why we should all include some preparedness items in our holiday gifting.
The ‘why’ behind the gift
Before we consider some specific survival items that would make for nice gifts, let’s look at the “why.” What’s the reasoning behind introducing loved ones to a survival mindset?
First and foremost, your gift could actually save their lives in a disaster. I don’t know how you can possibly top that in terms of a gift’s value.
Second, it will last. Survival food, for example, will stay good for up to 25 years under proper storage conditions. Toys, clothing, electronics… none of them come close to that kind of longevity.
Third, a gift such as survival food is practical. Your adult children might wear a tie or jewelry item a few times a year. And then stuff it in a drawer and forget about it. Survival food will always be there when they need it. Whether an emergency strikes soon or years in the future.
Fourth, survival products including food will bring them peace of mind. Few other gifts can offer that type of promise.
Fifth and finally, it will be a gift they never knew they needed. But when they do, they’ll be forever grateful for it.
Focus on food for family & friends
Of course, which preparedness items you give loved ones will depend on their situation. Where they live. How big their families are. Which preparedness items they might already own.
But one item you can’t go wrong with is survival food. It’s impossible to have too much shelf-stable food for a crisis.
When someone is forced to go into survival mode, food is what they need immediately and ongoing. It’s difficult to accomplish anything when you’re famished.
Make sure the survival food you gift tastes good and is filling. It should include plenty of variety. And should be enough to feed your loved one and their family during a crisis.
Don’t forget power & water
There are countless other preparedness items you could present to family members and special friends this holiday season. But let’s just focus on a couple.
In addition to food, the two most important pillars of survival are power and water. The grid is likely to go down in a crisis. Perhaps for only a short time. But more likely for a week or more.
Include gifts that will help people keep their lights on and power the devices most important to them. Such as everything from solar-powered generators to hand-held power banks.
Nobody will turn down bottled water. It’s good to have a supply of clean water in bottles and larger containers. But just as important is having water purification devices. They will make water from taps, streams, rivers, and lakes drinkable and healthy.
The invisible gift – peace of mind
Now, I’m not saying every gift you give this holiday season should be related to preparedness. Hopefully you’re in a position to offer gifts family members and friends have on their lists.
But add at least one preparedness item such as survival food for each person on your list. That will show them you care deeply about them.
This is especially true for those family members and friends who have not yet gotten on board with preparedness.
Who knows? Perhaps your gift will be the one that starts their preparedness journey. And someday they’ll thank you for making peace of mind a reality for them.
