Charity group offers Black Friday alternative

As if the holiday sales environment wasn’t challenging enough, now a philanthropic organization is encouraging would be shoppers to stay home this Friday as part of the “Great American Sleep-In.”

An online group called GlobalGiving that bills itself as the Amazon of philanthropy came up with the idea to help Americans rediscover the true meaning of the holidays.

GlobalGiving wants people to stay home and visit its Web site to donate money to a good cause in their loved ones’ names.

“This year, instead of spending $20 on another tie, how about providing baby bottles to mothers in Brooklyn, immunizing mothers and children in India or sending a child to school in Uganda,” GlobalGiving commented. “While Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy might sell out of that discounted DVD player by 9 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, GlobalGiving will never run out of opportunities for Americans to make a positive difference in the lives of others with as little as $10.”