Little Ways to Give During the Holidays & Throughout the Year

Despite the fact that I love flowers and warm weather, I’d have to say I like the Christmas season more than the spring and summer.  More than anything, I like it because it forces my friends and family to take vacation and obligates them to visit me! haha

There’s nothing I like more than getting to spend quality time with my loved ones.

Another reason I like the holiday season is because it reminds me of just how lucky I am and, unfortunately, how many people out there are hurting. It kicks me into giving high gear, and I love discovering new ways to help others.

How to Give During the Holidays

Giving to Charity – Child-Related Charitable Programs

This year, I so wanted to put together 4 Operation Christmas Child boxes.  No matter what I tried, time just got away from me.  My husband has been traveling a lot, and staying home with three kids is harder than I thought it would be!  You can get absolutely nothing done during the day other than the basics!

I’ve been actively raising money for another charity I love – Backpack Buddies – but I still wanted to get into the gift giving spirit with Operation Christmas Child (OCC).  Something had to give this year with our crazy new schedule, though, so I never got around to filling my boxes by the collection week deadline of November 12th – 18th.

Even though I won’t have time to fill Operation Christmas Child boxes like I’d planned, I still want to bless needy children with gifts this holiday season.  I also want to get my children involved.

Charity Ideas – Integrating Charity Into Our Lives 

Here are few little ways I think we can get into the Christmas spirit, share love with those less fortunate, and teach my children to give during the holidays:

• Pack a few shoe boxes full of toiletries and drop them off at a local homeless shelter
• Assemble a few care packages full of infant care supplies and drop them off at a nearby women’s shelter
• Coordinate a winter coat drive with my stay-at-home-mom group to benefit my area Rescue Mission
• Continue to compile grocery bags full of food I get at rock-bottom prices by using coupons to donate to local food pantries (I’ll write about this later as well)

As I wrote this list, I realized that these charity ideas don’t necessarily have anything to do with Christmas.  They could really be done any time of year.

So far, my kids don’t help me shop for these items (that would be too difficult right now because of how young they are), but I make a point to explain why I’ve purchased certain items and why we need to help others in need.  They inevitably find my purchased stashes and ask why they aren’t allowed to touch these special things.  😉

As they get older, I’ll let them shop with me and choose charities to support.

What are some ways you like to give?   

Related Reading:

Making 2013 a Year of Giving – Elle at Couple Money wrote about her plans to make giving a priority in 2013 and suggests ways to get the kids involved.