This Time of Year

I love this time of year. Not only are we celebrating the birth of Jesus our savior, but everyone is in a volunteering, charity giving mood. You hear of opportunities to help others on the radio and television. There are clothing and toy drives in the Walmarts, drug stores, and other businesses. You only need look around a little bit to find a way to help others.

Some of my Facebook buddies have come up with a way to help homeless people—by carrying gallon ziplock care packages with them in the car. They fill them with toiletries and hand and foot warmers. Some are getting their neighborhood associations together to put bunches of them together.

Here are a few more ideas for things to do: 

1.       Write letters of appreciation: Take the time to write letters of appreciation to people you truly appreciate. Think about the postal service workers, maintenance workers and your child’s bus driver who keeps him safe every day.

2.      Babysit for free: It can be very difficult to find a babysitter during the holidays, when parents have shopping, holiday parties and events to attend. Make things easier for a family with young children by offering to babysit.

3.      Get your feet wet volunteering: call local churches, homeless shelters and soup kitchens for opportunities to help. At this time of year, there are usually plenty of ways to help with just a commitment of a few hours.

4.      Give to a local food bank. When doing your holiday grocery shopping, also get a list of needed items from the local food bank which will be providing food for hundreds of families.

5.      Help a senior do something they love to do but can’t do by themselves. Visit a nursing home and take time to listen to your elders, learn about their lives and stories.

6.      Sponsor a family. Contact local churches to find out if they are providing food or presents to local families in need. Find one that you can help and change their Christmas this year.

Related to the care packages my friends are making, I have an even smaller survival kit that I make for friends, family and whomever needs a lift. The kit includes:

A clothes pin so you can keep it all together

A penny so you never have to say you’re broke.

A marble so you’ll never have lost them all.

Plenty of hugs and kisses (the chocolate ones, feel free to enjoy)

Most importantly, a cross so you’ll know that someone has had it harder then you and He wants to show you how much he loves you.

I pack these little things in a sandwich bag and pass them out to people when they seem kind of down. It makes them smile.

Well, that’s all for today. I feel like I don’t need to share as much as I usually do this month because it’s so easy to find a way to help others this time of year and I think that’s just the way it should be. God bless, everyone!