Zac Christensen, 16, admits he was "a little bummed."
"Just at first," he said. "But not once I thought about it."
Instead of piling gifts under the Christmas tree this year, his parents, Janice and Jason Christensen, of Downers Grove, announced that Zac and his brothers will receive money to give to charities of their choice.
While his brothers, Noah and Miles, are still doing their research, Zac has chosen the Extreme Recess program from Dreams for Kids in Chicago. It gives children and young adults with physical or developmental challenges a chance to participate in sports they could not do otherwise.
"My donation will help them try water skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing or other sports," said Zac.
The Christensens are among the Chicago-area families and friends who have decided enough is enough when it comes to gift giving and gift-card swapping. Thanks to the recession, Hurricane Sandy and the wars in the Middle East, the fortunate are redirecting their purchases toward people less fortunate.
"When we were little, we got lots of toys," said Zac, who plans to pursue a career in medicine. "Then when we got older, everyone exchanged gift cards. Now, this makes sense."
"This will give our boys — they're 6 and 7 — a greater appreciation of what they have," said Chicagoan Matt Krecun of the charitable-giving tradition he and his wife, Megy Karydes, started this year. "We're lucky. We have jobs, a home, a car, toys. Not everyone has these things, especially this year."
Through Chicago-based Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, the Krecun/Karydes family was matched with an Iraqi refugee family in Chicago.
"Heartland told us their sizes and what they needed," said Krecun, a communications specialist for an energy company. "We spread the word online, so friends helped us collect clothes, coats, dishes, toys, books, games. We filled our SUV and delivered it to the family."
Krecun and Karydes also gave to other Heartland recipients in the name of their children's teachers and co-workers.
At Thanksgiving, Suzanne Pritscher, of Elk Grove Village, gave each of her 17 grandchildren and great-grandchildren $50 and an assignment: Find a charity worthy of your donation and report your plans to the family at Christmastime.
The Pritscher family custom, now 10 years old, has ripple effects, said one of her granddaughters, Jackie Tausend, a teacher from Schaumburg.
"Most add money or their volunteer time to grandma's donation," said Tausend. "We sit in a circle and tell the stories and share thank-you notes. Grandma cries every time. She sets such a great example for us; we're very proud of her."
The Pritscher family donations have helped food pantries, bought outerwear for children and toys for hospital wards, and helped other families through tough times.
"Several of us are teachers, so we can help identify families who have had crises, like home fires," Tausend said.
Last year, Tausend's oldest child, age 6, received money from her "other grandma," said her mom.
"Instead of spending it on herself, she bought toys for kids who didn't have any," Tausend said. "I know that comes from (Suzanne's) example."
"Each year, they surprise me," said Pritscher of her family. "The best donations have been the ones they've made anonymously. One year some of them bought gifts for a family who had a hard year. They put the gifts at the door, rang the bell and ran off. That's just one example, though."
Lorie Koop, of Spring Grove, got no argument from her husband, Alan, or their son, Nicholas, when she announced the family would collect donations for a children's hospital in Milwaukee this year instead of trading family gifts.
"When our son was younger, he was there for multiple surgeries for his feet," said Koop. "We saw the oncology patients and how hard it was for those families. Some had to be there for months and months. For others, it was their kids' last Christmas. We're very lucky that our son is OK now."
After the Koops spread the word on Facebook, friends asked, "What do you need?" They collected 10 boxes of gifts that they will deliver Saturday.
"My mom is crocheting booties and hats for the little ones," Koop said. "My husband's company donated money.
This makes so much more sense than giving each other gifts we don't need. We're fine; we don't need any more gifts. But we know these kids will appreciate our help."
"No more sweaters, coffee cups or fancy teas," Christine Marks told her family of 11, who will gather at her mother's house in Olympia Fields at Christmas. "No more asking for nieces' and nephews' lists. That got silly. This year, everyone should think about where we should donate our money and bring their ideas to the family dinner."
Marks figures the family will donate about $2,000 to one or more charities.
"It will be a family decision," said Marks, a stay-at-home mom from Flossmoor.
Marks said she hopes the new ritual will help teach her teenage daughters "to be givers," she said. "We're not going to change the world with $2,000, but we can help people who need it more than we do."
The holidays should be all about charity, said meeting planner Myrna Stein, of Chicago, "not about getting more stuff.
"You go from party to party and bring more bottles of wine, and it means nothing," Stein said. "Better to spend the money on things that people really need, especially now that so many people are out of work."
When Stein's group of eight girlfriends had their monthly get-together recently at a Chicago tavern, they launched a new tradition instead of buying birthday or holiday trinkets for each other.
"One of the girls has a brother-in-law serving in Afghanistan," Stein said. "So we've 'adopted' his group of about 60 troops. We're going to send them a package every month with food, coffee, toiletries, magazines and other things they tell us they could use."
Their first shipment is on its way.
While Zac Christensen's brothers are still choosing their charities, he is pleased with his decision, he said.
"I may only be able to help a few kids, but that's OK," he said. "I'm healthy, and my parents have given me opportunities to do a lot of sports. Not everyone has that."
