How To Give Back During The Holidays

One thing that really seems to be forgotten during the holiday season is giving. Sometimes the focus is solely on the sales and presents. But what is more important is that we focus on what the holidays are all about, giving back.

Here are some ways that you can give back this holiday season:

Use AmazonSmile. AmazonSmile is a way to support your favorite charities while you shop on Amazon. All you have to do is use the link: smile.amazon.com, sign in to Amazon, and then choose a charity. There are over one million charities to choose from and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to charity of your choice.

Visit A Nursing Home. Nursing homes can be pretty lonely, especially during the holidays. So why not take some time out of your busy schedule and spend some time chatting with a senior citizen. Maybe bring them a holiday card to get them in the spirit.

Donate Toys and Clothing. Why wait until spring to do some decluttering? Why not take the time to go through your unused toys and clothes and donate them. Local shelters and churches will take these donations and put them to good use. There are also organizations like Toys For Tots and the Salvation Army who also take any kind of donation.

Adopt A Family. Lots of local organizations and religious groups can give you the opportunity to sponsor a family in your area. When you sponsor a family, you help provide them Christmas. What that means is that you will provide food for their meal and some presents. It's a great way to help a family in need!

Donate Can/Boxed Food To A Food Bank. During the holiday season, your local food banks could always use extra items. Why not donate a couple extra food items to those in need? There's probably plenty of cans or boxed food items in your pantry that you don't need right away.

Anonymously Pay For Someone’s Lay-Away. When you put items on lay-away, you pay a deposit to secure an item for later purchase. This can be paid off by using a payment plan or paying it off in full when you can. For those who are tight for money or have bad credit, it is a popular alternative for holiday shopping. If you really want to give back, you can go to stores like Wal-Mart or K-Mart and anonymously pay off the rest of someone's lay-away balance. The family will get a call and they can come retrieve their items. It's a great way to really make someone's holiday.

Volunteer At A Shelter/Soup Kitchen. Not everyone has lots of money to donate to charity, so something even better that you can do is donate your time. Any kind of shelter or soup kitchen can always use extra help no matter what time of the year. Donating your time and energy is a really valuable and gratifying experience.

Do A Simple Act Of Kindness. Sometimes people can be selfish, so why not do something small that could really make someone's day. Why not pay it forward when in line at your favorite coffee house and buy a drink for the person behind you? Or give a generous tip to a waiter or server. Or maybe buy a homeless person something to eat! Anything small like that really could brighten someone's day, and it could inspire them to be just as kind and generous as you.

If you decide to give back somehow during the holidays this year, just remember it's not a competition. It doesn't matter how big or small your gesture is, what really matters is that you decided to take the time to be selfless. Whether you donate money, items, or your time, someone will appreciate the effort you made. So tell me, how do you plan to give back during the holidays?

Until tomorrow.