Perhaps, amid all the busyness, you noticed that almost minutes after you finished turkey and pie on Thanksgiving Day, retail mania and consumerism kicked in with a vengeance. We had Black Friday, then Small Business Saturday, then Cyber Monday.

But don't dismay! Today, Dec. 2, is Giving Tuesday, a day intended to shift the focus back to the spirit of giving.

#GivingTuesday was started by New York's 92nd Street Y in partnership with the United Nations Foundation in 2012. The effort has grown exponentially in just two years, with communities around the world creating their own initiatives to encourage charitable giving in support of non-profit organizations like CAI.

Although the idea of a "new tradition" may seem like an oxymoron, we like this one. We hope you do, too!

"It's a simple idea," according to givingtuesday.org. "Charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give."

Giving Tuesday this year is Dec. 2. It's a great time to kick off a Pennies for Peace campaign with your classroom, coworkers, book club, or congregation. And it's a great time to make a donation to CAI.

Every donation helps us promote education, especially for girls, in remote, neglected, and impoverished communities, mostly in the mountains, of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. We believe that education is the path to peace. And we need your help!

For those of you who eschew the materialism and consumerism of the season, please consider giving a donation to CAI as a gift. We'll send a personalized letter to the recipient letting them know how their contribution makes a difference.