Both gratitude and altruism are good for your health and there’s nothing like giving a gift to a homeless person to help you experience both. Her are some easy, practical, cheap ways to be selfish and give a gift to a homless person.

This time of year, no matter what your worldview, religion or culture, it’s hard, as you hurry past the homeless huddled on the street, to not feel like Scrooge. Whether you’re taking your family to the Nutcracker, or pounding the pavement for a job yourself, walking past so many shivering mounds of human misery takes a toll on the psyche. Maybe your kids are tugging on your arm, asking why can’t something be done? Maybe you (like so many of us) just don’t feel comfortable handing out bits, or even wads, of cash. So what can YOU do to make a small difference? Here, folks, is the Annual Doc Gurley Homeless Gift Guide, with tips for how you too can safely give an affordable, life-saving gift to the neediest among us. Because when it comes to the homeless, that’s when, truly, The Giving Is Easy. And once you see how simple and rewarding it can be to drop a gift with a homeless person, be sure to pass the word along. Email friends, post your efforts on Facebook or MySpace. Put together gifts to have in your car for those awkward moments when you’re waiting at an intersection, staring at a scrawled “anything helps, even a smile” cardboard sign. It will change the whole tenor of your life.

Ebenezer: Are there no prisons?

Still feeling reluctant to throw together a homeless gift? Keep in mind that, when it comes to your health, studies show that acts of altruism benefit YOU – your life satisfaction, your overall level of contentment, and even how long you live. If altruism was a drug, it would outsell Viagra.

Still not convinced? Channel some of your Niner frustration into a slightly different competitive arena. Hey, we’ve got to do something to redeem our city’s good name – in the compassion-for-the-homeless nationwide stakes, San Francisco and Berkeley won top slots for Meanest Cities in America.

Still not convinced? Well, when it comes to gifts for the homeless, I’m not exaggerating about that life-saving part. How often can you give a simple gift, for less than 5 bucks, that can actually save the life of someone you pass each day? Now that’s effective gifting. Life on the streets takes a lethal toll, and many people die unacknowledged.

How To Give:

Safety first – for you and your gift recipient. While many of us realize that giving an obvious gift to a street person might attract unwanted attention to yourself, you may not be aware that you could also be making your gift-recipient a target for assault later. When it comes to handing out a gift, here’s what you mutter to yourself as you do it (hey, you’ll blend in even more!): Discreet, discreet – the motto on the street. The safest and best way to gift a street person is to do what you already do – give small gifts to the folks you predictably pass on your usual routes, whether you’re going to work, going out to dinner, or heading to a movie. Keep a gift handy and, instead of bending over to drop a buck in a cup, put your bag on the ground and keep going. Don’t break stride, avoid getting into long conversations. Don’t make a show of giving gifts around a large area and certainly don’t go into areas your don’t know. I’d say don’t gift alone, or in isolated areas, and don’t give gifts to crowds. Gift should be given in plain bags – no bows, no garish colors, no Tiffany sacks. It’s nice, though, to tuck inside a small bow or giftcard (“From Me, To You”). You wouldn’t wave money around, and the same applies to your gift. Anytime you might consider handing someone a dollar, hand him/her a gift instead. And do it as discreetly, and with as little fanfare.

What To Give:

1) Earning power is primo. One of the best possible presents is something that helps a homeless person earn some cash. Consider buying a harmonica, recorder, or sheet music for the a cappella singer who starts to sound hoarse by the end of rush hour. If your neighborhood, like one in Berkeley, has a street person who paints tiny abstracts on rocks to earn some bucks, a set of acrylics or a handful of Sharpies could be a life-saver. Finally, anyone who’s ever had to dumpster-dive knows the value of some study work gloves, or a pair of fingerless mitts. But what if you don’t know someone’s talents? Never fear. You can still spontaneously give any homeless person a great present. Consider some of these types of gifts –

2) Hats, scarves and gloves. Any of these are heart-warming (literally) gifts, especially this time of year. Prices range anywhere from $9.99 or $4.99 for men’s items at Target and Longs, to all of $1 at the (of course) Dollar General Store. Homeless people try to blend, because the streets are not a good place to attract attention. For that reason, choose gender neutral colors that won’t show wear and tear so fast (navy, brown, black). And if you’re giving any clothing item, it’s nice to leave the tag in place. Lots of homeless people have gotten unfortunate cases of lice and scabies from accepting used articles, so it’s reassuring to know, if you’re the recipient, that what you’re getting is new. Coats are really nice, but hard to hand out discreetly, and expensive to buy in quantity – but if you can provide them, go for it! Another lovely present is a pair of sweatpants. Sweatpants are both gender and size neutral. Buy men’s large in dark colors, regardless of who you’re gifting ($19.99 Target and other stores).

3) Rain gear. When considering a present for your typical street person, keep in mind the requirement that everything must be carried on your person at all times. For that reason, umbrellas are not often used on the street. Umbrellas, in general, are both too heavy and flimsy. However, the ultra-useful rain poncho ($3 and up at various stores) is both cheaper, and better as a gift.

4) Bags. Carrying everything you own is not easy, especially when almost all of it is packed in hand-creasing, thin white plastic bags. This year, due to the widespread interest in saving the environment through re-use, there’s a fine selection of collapsible, sturdy bags at truly affordable prices. These make great gifts for the homeless. Almost every store has a branded reusable shopping bag for around $1 (Longs, Target, Trader Joe’s) but my favorite is the Ikea large blue bag – it has a set of wide, durable shoulder straps (key for carrying heavy items), plus a second, hand-length set of straps, is only $0.59, and it’s made of the same weather-resistant material as blue tarp, which means it can also be used as an impromptu pup-tent if necessary.

5) Outdoor supplies. You’ll find a wealth of gift ideas in any camping section of a department store. Bungie cords (five for $2.99), sturdy metal clips (three for $2.49), duct tape ($1.99 a roll), and heat-retaining foil emergency blankets ($2.99 each) are all cheap, useful and fun things to toss in a gift bag. Stay away from knives (including multi-function tools) and open-flames (like camping stoves), both of which can get the urban camper in trouble. Polartec throws are really nice gifts, and there’s a wide selection this year to choose from. It’s best, however, to avoid cotton or fluffy blankets, which turn into a soggy wad in the rain. Both Target and Longs stock Polartec throws ($4.99-$9.99), but the cheapest high-quality throw is at Ikea (called Irma),($2.49).

6) Foot care. Foot problems top the list of miseries that plague people living on the street. If you lived and walked in the same pair of shoes/socks for days on end, your feet would disintegrate too. Trench foot has actually made a resurgence in this country among street people. You may be asking yourself – if it hurts so much, why do homeless people wear the same shoes/socks all the time? Well, if you go to sleep on the street without your shoes or socks on – they’ll be gone in the morning. Foot care items make thoughtful, inexpensive, and health-preserving gifts. Sturdy athletic socks, foot lotion, and manicure sets can be combined to make a theme present for your gift recipients this year. Packs of ten pairs of athletic socks or packs of three pairs ($1 at the Dollar General Store) can be broken apart to extend your gift-giving to more recipients. Manicure sets and sample-sized foot lotion are available at a wide variety of department and drug stores, and at the Dollar General Store too (which means you could put together two foot-themed presents for only $5, total!).

7) First aid kits. Nothing says you care like a tiny first aid kit in a bag. These kits usually include wipes, band-aids, and sample sizes of over-the-counter medicines like aspirin or acetominophen (Tylenol). Other than the pre-packaged first aid kit, however, it’s probably not a great idea to buy individual over-the-counter medicines as gifts, despite the fact that many street people suffer through colds, flus and bronchitis every winter. Why is that? Many people on the street have health conditions that mean they shouldn’t be taking one or more of these medicines on a long-term basis. Another approach is to give a drugstore gift card in $5-10 amounts. If you choose this option, be sure to pick a local chain, since many street people can’t carry all their belongings with them across town.

8) Personal care products. As simple as soap and toothpaste and disposable toothbrushes. Skin lotions and creams are great for some of the cold, dry spells. Get travel sizes since larger versions are pretty bulky to be hauling around everywhere. For women an expensive necessity are tampons.

9) Treats. Everyone deserves a little something in their gift-bag that makes them smile. You can buy a multi-pack of candies or chocolates that can be parceled out into several gifts. But if you do, make sure they’re individually wrapped. Street people, just like you and me, wonder about who’s been handling unwrapped food before they eat it. Coupons to local restaurant chains ($5 Subway, Burger King, others) are wonderful gifts – but be aware of which places are likely to be more welcoming to a street person.

But you don’t have to have much money, or go out of your way, to find a great gift. Grab a few things as you’re doing your holiday shopping. Plop your items in one of those thin white plastic bags (or in a sturdy bag you bought as a present!) and discreetly drop it with a homeless person, saying a brisk “happy holidays” as you power-walk along the street. But after you’ve turned the corner, if you safely can, pause and sneak a look back. What you’ll discover is that even out in the open, even with voices running through our heads, we all open presents the same way. Sure, some of us are furtive. Some of us draw out the suspense. Some of us savor the moment. But in the end, peeking through a gift is a uniquely human, universal act. The sight of someone sitting on the sidewalk, hunched and pyramid-shaped in an effort to stay warm, pulling items out of your bag and blooming with a huge, shocked smile, will warm your heart for days. By giving to, and honoring someone else, you give to and honor yourself. And knowing that you’ve possibly made the difference between whether or not someone survives this winter? That knowledge is also a gift you give yourself – one that can see you through some tough times of your own.

What do YOU think? This time only the comments are a no-Scrooge zone, but please share in the comments section and stay tuned for more on The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship series of articles by Doc Gurley on homelessness and mortality. There will be an article every Tuesday – find out who’s dying in your neighborhood, what’s being done about it, and what you can do to help. This article was produced as a project for The California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, a program of USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

*Identifying traits are changed to protect patient confidentiality, and the accompanying street photos are NOT of patients.

Doc Gurley is a Harvard Medical School graduate and is a practicing board-certified internist, and the creator of the Memoriam app – the first, and only, app to allow disaster-relief workers to speak for the dead. You can follow Doc Gurley on Facebook. You can get more health posts at www.docgurley.com, or jump on the Twitter bandwagon and follow Doc Gurley. Also check out Doc Gurley’s joyhabit and iwellth twitter feeds – so you can get topic-specific, effective, affordable tips on how to nurture your joy and grow your personal wellth.