It is the time of giving

It is the most wonderful time of the year! Who doesn’t like this festive season? December is filled with joy, hope, reflection for the year and planning resolutions for a new year! Loving memories are made, Christmas is celebrated, cheer is spread, and holidays are enjoyed all over the world!

Being an educator, it is difficult for me to decide if I like December break better or the summer break. I do enjoy the long summer holidays to take a break and rejuvenate myself, but December break is also very special for me. Generally we take a winter trip and since we live in hot Texas, we try to go a cold snowy place in December. We have visited Wyoming, Utah, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, Colorado, and Calgary (Canada) during the winter break. Some experiences include snow tubing and trying skiing for the first time! I have beautiful memories of traveling both during summer time and winter. You can read this post about our road trip experiences.

December holiday season is special because we end the year in high spirits and look forward to the beginning of a new year. 2020 has been an unpredictable year for everyone across the globe, and we want to end this year with gratitude, love, prayers and peace for everyone. Hope 2021 bring happiness, joy, prosperity, and hope in everyone’s life!

Background information:

December is also the time of giving! Did you know that people are generous and give the most between Thanksgiving and New Year? Giving Tuesday is officially the national day of giving, which is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, following Cyber Monday. According to Neonone, a tech ecosystem built to help mission-driven organizations grow, nearly 31% of annual giving happens in December. So what is the better time than now to give? Read on to get some ideas about giving this season.

As parents we try to imbibe in our kids that it is not what we have but what we give that matters. Volunteering, attending charity events, giving monthly contributions and finding ways to give back to community are all different ways children learn growing up so that they can become contributing citizens of tomorrow. Charity begins at home and what better way than to start this conversation when they are young and involve them yearly in giving back to society?

Motivational Quotes:

Here are some quotes to motivate each one of us to give back!

It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving

Mother Teresa

Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands — one for helping yourself, the other for helping others

Audrey Hepburn

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give

Winston Churchill

Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve

Martin Luther King, Jr

No one has ever become poor by giving.

Anne Frank

I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver

Maya Angelou

We try to give back to community on a regular basis. This year has been difficult due to the pandemic so volunteering has ceased since March when we last went to the Houston Food Bank and the animal shelter, so giving monetary donations has been imperative. You can read this post about our experience with volunteering and making a difference. In addition to local food bank and local animal shelter, we also donate to charities like World Vision and Child Find of America. What is your favorite way to give back?

10 simple ways to give back:

Here is my list of 10 ways to give during this holiday season–

1. Donate to your church or local community organization

We do a monthly recurring payment, and you can chose when and how you want to give. Any organization that is important to you and means something to you or your family, would appreciate your monetary contributions.

2. Particpate in toy and clothing drive

You can start a drive or just participate in one. This a great initiative to spread joy and cheer during this holiday season for the needy and less fortunate.

3. Give a personalized gift to a helping hand to your family.

You can give a gift to your maid, mailman, trash pick up guys, school bus driver, kids’ teachers or colleagues. The list is endless; find someone who makes a small difference in your life and give back.

4. Volunteer at local organizations, if it is safe

Only if is safe and you are comfortable, venture out to volunteer at any local organization who needs your time.

5. Start or run a charity event at work or community center

It can be a book drive or woolen clothes or recycled shoes or unopened gift boxes. At my school we are accepting gently used jackets and sweaters for kids. A parent at school is giving out books to kids of cancer survivor patients.

6. Write letters or encouraging notes

For my younger one’s Girls Scouts program, they are hand-writing notes and decorating bags for kids in need of receiving food or gift this season.

6. Pay it forward

You can do this at a restaurant or a drive through or any other public store. You pay for another person instead of paying back a person directly and the chain is continued when they pay forward for someone else.

7. Make a giving tree at home or participate in a giving tree

There are many participating agencies or schools which host a giving tree, where you can give gifts that directly go to children who are in need or from low income families.

8. Contribute to Secret Santa at work or in your neighborhood or with your friends

This is a sweet tradition in which you give a gift to a randomly assigned person. Led by a group or community, the identity of the gift giver remains a secret until all of the gifts are finally given.

9. Remind your friends and family members that they are important and you care about them

You can call old friends whom you haven’t been in touch with recently, or reach out to a elderly family member who would love to hear from you. You can give a generous gift to a friend in need or instead entirely plan something for your circle of friends. There are many ways to show you care and that you are thinking of them at this time of the year.

10. Extra tipping

If you can, tip extra and generously at restaurants, salons, or other service centers.

Summary:

To summarize, there are multiple ways to give back to community during this holiday season. There is definitely a joy in giving, and what better time than now to give! Giving your time or money, and through our thoughts and actions each one of us can give back in our small ways.

Dear readers we would love to hear from you. Please share how you celebrate this holiday season, and help spread hope and cheer around you. Please comment below or send an email to nishtha@dawnandhope.com!