WHAT IS THE CHRISTMAS UNPLUGGED PLEDGE?

It’s an Invitation to Celebrate Christmas More Fully, More Purposefully.

This pledge encourages people everywhere to spend 24 hours “unplugged” from their smartphones and other handheld devices, beginning at 6:00 pm local time on Christmas Eve until 6:00 pm local time on Christmas Day. It is an invitation to experience this holy time unhindered by the seemingly constant distractions and frivolous noise, especially from social media, generated by our smartphones and other devices of mass distraction. So rather than looking down at our smartphones this Christmas, let us instead take this opportunity to look up and all around us, taking the time to be fully and genuinely present with the people who matter most in our lives. Merry Christmas!

Charitable Giving: How You Can Use this Pledge to Help those in Need.

The Christmas Unplugged Pledge is a web-based social media initiative. Encourage friends and family to take this pledge by sharing this page on social media -- Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter -- and use the hashtag #ChristmasUnplugged. We ask that all participates consider taking this pledge in support of a favorite charity. When taking the pledge, donate to a charity close to your heart, and then let your friends and family know that you'll be spending your Christmas Unplugged in support of a worthy cause you believe in. This way you can help transform #ChristmasUnplugged into an engine for charity during this special season of giving.

If you have a charity you would like to have considered, please contact Christmas.Unplugged.Pledge@gmail.com.

Here are some organizations that you might consider donating to:

-The Salvation Army
-The American Red Cross
-International Federation of the Red Cross
-YMCA of the USA
-Boys and Girls Clubs of America
-Habitat for Humanity
-Back on My Feet
-Save the Children
-Children’s Defense Fund
-US Hunger Relief Organization
-Feeding America
-Meals on Wheels
-Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
-Wounded Warrior Project