Looking for how to give back at Christmas? If you want to take a step back during the busy holiday season and brighten someone’s life, we have a few ways that are small in and of themselves but can make a huge difference. These ideas are also great suggestions for helping kids to learn to be grateful and to show compassion to others.
Lots of these ideas apply any time of year. But if you’re looking for more year-round ideas, don’t miss our Guide to Volunteering in Upstate, SC.
Inevitably, the holidays can be stressful with the endless lists of the hottest toys of the season, frantic mall runs to find the perfect gift, and long waits in lines to see Santa that snake around fake trees covered with puffy, cotton ball snow. However, I remind my family and myself often that these are problems of privilege.
Meanwhile, children and families both in our own communities and countries abroad are just wishing for something small and meaningful during Christmastime. The elderly want a visitor. The lonely, someone to talk to or the laughter of children to listen to. Those who labor unseen want to be noticed.
Our readers are enormously generous and thoughtful and many of these suggestions come from them.
Meals on Wheels
One local mom, Tina, wrote about her family’s experience with Meals on Wheels and how to get involved. This is a neat thing to participate in as a family, especially if you have younger children who aren’t old enough to volunteer in a soup kitchen or other places. One reader said her family makes ornaments and fills bags with candy for Meals on Wheels recipients.
Toy Donations
Toys for Tots, the Angel Tree at the Salvation Army, Angel Trees at churches, and the Santa Shoppe at the Dream Center in Easley all take donations of toys during the holiday season. One reader said her child likes to shop for a toy to donate for one of these groups.
Participate in a Food Drive
Pick up some extra items and donate to a local food pantry or food drive. These organizations are very efficient at getting food to those in need and there are so many to choose from. Here’s what local food banks and food pantries need now.
Pack a Shoebox
Operation Christmas Child and Box of Joy are programs where a family can choose a child based on age and gender, fill a shoebox with small toys, treats, and everyday items a child may need, and then bring it back to a local drop-off center, where it will be packaged and sent to that child. You can go online to find a local drop off-center.
My family has been doing this for years and my young children caught on pretty fast as to why we were doing it (I was surprised!). It’s become a favorite holiday activity for my children to shop for another child in a country where they will never experience the overflow of toys and abundance of everything we have here. We can’t all go to these countries and provide food and water but we can do small things to bring joy into their lives.
Surprise Gifts for Mail Carriers, Sanitation Workers, Delivery People
This suggestion was mentioned by more than a few of our readers. It’s an easy one because you don’t even need to leave your house to do it. Bake some cookies or other treats and package them in baggies for surprise gifts for all the people who work day in and day out to make our world run smoothly.
Bonus: People who have to work ON holidays like Christmas Day would also appreciate a basket of snacks, drinks, candy, and handwritten thank-you notes. These include Firefighters, Emergency Room workers, and grocery store or gas station employees.
Visit with the Elderly
Not every way to give back requires monetary donations or purchasing items. Our 94-year-old next door neighbor told us that you have no idea how lonely life can be at that age. It absolutely makes her week so much better if we pay her a visit. Older folks often love engaging with children, talking about their favorite animals and colors, and seeing their artwork. Find an elderly neighbor, maybe someone at your local church or community center that is not mobile enough to make the commute anymore, or call a nearby nursing home or retirement community to see if/when they accept visitors.
Giving Tree at School
One year, Rudolph Gordon Elementary School had a Giving Tree with tags located in the front office. On each tag was written the age of a child and their gender. People could take a tag, purchase a gift for that child, and return it wrapped so the school could give those gifts to the children at Christmas. If your school does this – awesome! If not, it could be a great thing to start. Working with local shelters could be a possible way to help needy children in the area.
Pay it Forward
Another way to have fun with generosity is by paying for strangers. Some ideas include: pay for the order of the person behind you in the drive-through, leave a larger-than-usual tip for a restaurant server, ask a server to offer a different table free dessert charged to your bill, or leave gift cards to stores on the cars parked in that store’s parking lot.
Sponsor a Holiday Box for a Local Family
In the past, local food bank Harvest Hope allowed you can sponsor a holiday meal for a local family that includes ham, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, yams, green beans, corn, and cranberry sauce for about $15.
Go spread some holiday cheer in our community!
Other Ways to Volunteer
Of course, our community has needs throughout the year. If you’re looking for ways to give back now and/or year-round, check out our list of Ways to Volunteer with Kids.
Here’s our full Volunteer Guide with lot of ideas and volunteer opportunities near Greenville, SC
Are you in the midlands? Check out our guide to Giving Back in Columbia, SC. It’s full of volunteer and charity opportunities.
What small ways have you found to give back to your community?
