While the holidays are a time of elaborate winter decorations, festive traditions and buying and receiving gifts from the people we love, it’s also a time to show support for those who need it most. Whether you’re buying gifts for a family in need, volunteering at a local shelter, or making a charitable contribution to your favorite non-profit, giving back during the holiday season is incredibly impactful. While this is “the most wonderful time of the year” for many of us, it’s often easy for us to forget that for a lot of people and families in our own community, it’s not so wonderful.
We consider ourselves fortunate to have been raised in a loving home with parents who taught us by example just how important it is to be a conscious member of society. Our table always had room for one more person to join us for a meal, our wallets were never too empty to buy a box of cookies to support the local scouts, and there were visits to the nursing homes to spend time with lonely folks at the holidays. The lesson was taught often and clearly, Give When You Can. We are conscious of how that lesson has shaped us, especially so as parents ourselves, now. The idea of making an impact by giving when you can, what you can, is something we try to impress upon our own children.
In addition, we are using our small platform with our last message of 2018 to implore you to give back in your own way. Many families go without gifts during the holiday season, and sometimes even without a hot meal or a warm place to sleep. It’s easy to fall victim to the commercial nature of the holiday season, but the true spirit of the holiday comes from giving back, giving thanks and lending a helping hand to those in need. So, if you can, please join us in giving in any way you can!
Not only does giving back make you feel amazing, but giving back to your community is a huge part of how our society functions. There are plenty of ways you can help make the world a brighter place this holiday season, even if you start out small. Get your family, children and coworkers involved and we promise it will give this time of year even more meaning. And, you never know just how far the effects of your kindness will extend!
Here is a list of some easy, inexpensive ways to give back this holiday season:
- Pay for the person behind you at the coffee shop, grocery store, etc.
- Organize a food drive at the office
- Volunteer at a soup kitchen
- Buy gifts for a program like Toys for Tots
- Visit a nursing home – the gift of your time can mean so much
- Hand out bags of snacks and essentials to the homeless
- Clean out your closet and make a clothing/toy donation
- Buy gifts through companies that donate a portion of their proceeds to a charity whose mission aligns with your core values.
We wish you a wonderful rest of your holiday season, and a very Happy New Year!
With Sisterly Love,
Lan & Cathy
