What comes to mind when you think of the holiday season? Unfortunately, a lot of people focus too much on the stress of buying presents, planning parties, and perfectly decorating their trees.
Let’s change our holiday attitudes by doing things that make us and others feel good again. Get back to the real meaning of the Christmas season; giving back and spreading cheer and love throughout the land!
Here are 9 inspiring acts of kindness:
1. Buy Someone a Cup of Coffee
Either the person in line behind you at Starbucks, or the homeless man on the corner. Both will be equally grateful for the warm caffeine boost this time of year.
2. Fulfill a Child’s Christmas List
Check with a local Boys & Girls club, day care center, or homeless shelter to see if they have a list of kids who need holiday presents. There are many places in your community you can go to and find a simple wish list of a child in need.
A toy, clothes, and warm jacket are usually the top presents on their list to Santa.
3. Get Baking
Want to spread some holiday cheer to your neighbors? Jump in the kitchen and whip up a holiday treat!
Cookies, candy, pies… Any sweet treat will do the trick.
Your neighbors will appreciate the token of warm tidings and their bellies will be filled with delight.
4. Shovel Someone's Driveway
If you grew up in a snowy, cold place like I did, you know the struggles of shoveling driveways and scraping car windows.
Have a few extra minutes in the morning? Go over and scrape your neighbor’s car windows. If you make it as far as shoveling their walk, you’ll definitely make their day!
5. Donate to an Animal Shelter
Pet lover? There are always loving animals that need food, shelter, and love.
Make all those pups, kittens, and vets happy by putting together a package to donate to your local animal shelter.
6. Give the Gift of Reading
One of my favorite things about Christmas as a kid was snuggling up by the fire and reading my favorite book, The Polar Express. Pick up a copy of your favorite Christmas story to give to a child in your life.
7. Volunteer
Your time is valuable, so why not spend it volunteering?
Check with local shelters, foodbanks, and schools for volunteer opportunities. It always feels good to do something kind for someone else, and even an hour of your time can make a huge impact!
8. Make Your Facebook Feed More Positive
Leave heartfelt messages on social media. Post on someone’s Facebook wall, tweet a holiday message out to the world, or post a special Christmas photo on Instagram.
Just a small token of holiday spirit can go a long way.
9. Send Flowers
Send flowers to someone unexpected. We all love to receive flowers, especially for no particular reason. Pick someone in the office, your building manager, mail person, or a loved one and brighten their day with a bouquet.
I challenge you to do one random act this year. If each person who reads this article does one, think of how many people we can reach!
This year, I’ll be choosing number two. Each year, our family picks one child from a local day care whose parents may not have the money to put presents under the tree. We take their list and buy as much as we can. Mostly warm clothes, mittens, and shoes, but we always make sure to throw something fun in the bag like a doll or a toy, too.
It feels so great dropping of a huge bag of presents and knowing that we will be making one child’s Christmas morning a little bit more cheerful!
This list is just the beginning, and the possibilities of random acts of kindness are endless. How do you give back during the holidays? Let us know in the comments below!