This Friday, instead of waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in a line in the bitter cold and risk injury from the stampede that ensues after the store you are hankering to bust in to (to purchase quality merchandise at low, low, prices) opens their doors, consider an alternative:

Why not let the Massachusetts Audubon Society help with your Christmas shopping?

In 1922, the director of the Zoological Museum, Thomas Sadler Roberts, received a solicitation from the Massachusetts Audubon Society promoting their Audubon charts, calendars, and colored pictures of birds and flowers as ideas for Christmas gift giving. Profit earned from the sale of these items went to the Society to continue their bird protection work.



As it is doubtful that the Massachusetts Audubon Society still sells bird charts and pictures for less than $5 (though, they do have an online store), there is still a way for you to “make a Christmas gift to the birds as well as to your friends.” The National Audubon Society offers a bird adoption program for holiday gift giving. Select a beautiful full-color image of a Snowy plover, Common Loon, Burrowing Owl, etc., make a donation, and the recipient you select will receive an e-card with the image and a notice of the gift.

If you think Black Friday shopping is “for the birds,” this suggested alternative may be just for you.