The holiday season is full of opportunities to celebrate and spend time with those you love. With that in mind, this season can look different for everyone. As we move through the holiday season where there are parties and opportunities to celebrate with your loved ones, there is also an opportunity to give back. This blog will share ways you can help your local and broader community as well as those in your circle who are grieving a loss this holiday season. It’s important to remember those struggling and hurting this month and offer our compassion, support and resources when we can. From big ways to small moments, there are so many opportunities to share love and kindness with others. 

There isn’t really another time of the year that is more focused on giving and generosity than December. From holiday movie favorites like How the Grinch Stole Christmas to classic tales like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the theme is how kindness can transform hearts and the spirit of Christmas is not found in *what* you have but more so *who* you have around you. Both the Grinch and Ebeneezer Scrooge found out that life is meant to be lived in community and it’s better to give than receive. So in that spirit, here are some suggestions for helping your local community as well as broader at-need groups.

There is no easier time to meet tangible needs than during the Christmas season. If you are able, consider choosing one or some of the below ways to help those in need during this holiday season and partner with organizations who are helping distribute resources. 

Volunteer Your Time - If you aren’t in a financial position to buy items or give money, don’t let that stop you from giving away your time! 

• Serve meals at shelters, soup kitchens, or community centers. Consider bringing your children with you to teach them how important generosity is and foster gratitude - something very needed in the next generation! 
• Volunteer for holiday events (toy drives, coat drives, community dinners). Many local churches host Christmas giveaway events and would love additional volunteers!
• Visit seniors in nursing homes or write holiday cards to combat loneliness. Bring games to play, pictures to color or just ask questions about their lives. They might be desperately missing family and would love to share about their loved ones. 
• Spend time with veterans by asking your local VA Medical Center or state veterans' home what they need most during the holidays. They often need volunteers for events, help delivering gifts, or just friendly faces.
• Tutor or mentor students who may need extra support during the break. Look for organizations like UPchieve, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, or ask your local library or government office what volunteer opportunities are available. 

Donate Goods or Items - Most of us probably have lots of items taking up space in our pantry, closet or garage. Get a jump on spring cleaning and give them away this season!

• Toys or books for children through toy drives. My gym has a Toys For Tots dropoff box right at the entrance. 
• Winter essentials like coats, gloves, socks, and blankets. All I had to do was Google “coat drive near me” and I was given lots of options!
• Food donations (especially holiday staples) to local pantries. Grocery chains often have donation boxes at the front of the store making it very convenient! 
• Hygiene kits with toiletries for shelters or unhoused neighbors. It could even be a fun family activity to assemble bags together and then pass them out. 

Give Financially - Skip Starbucks or bring your lunch for the week and give that money (or more) to vetted causes that are making a difference. 

• Donate to local or international nonprofits, deserving schools, or churches you trust. Check out the Broken Shepherds app for non-profits that value transparency. 
• Sponsor a family through programs like “Adopt-a-Family” or Angel Tree or service members through Stockings for Heroes. If you miss the deadline, keep in mind for next year! 
• Think about a family or neighbor you know who might be going through a difficult season. Maybe a parent lost a job recently or went through a divorce and would appreciate the blessing of a financial gift. 

Support Your Local or Small Business Community

• Shop small and local. Did you know Laurelbox is female-owned and employs nearly a dozen women, myself included? Listen, I get it. Amazon is just a click away. But whenever possible, choose to find small local businesses who are making a difference in their respective retail space! 
• Tip generously to service workers and those who mainly rely on tips
• Leave positive reviews for local businesses and nonprofits and share about great service and experiences on social media. 

This time of year it can be easy to stay so busy with holiday parties, teacher gifts, Christmas lists and so much more to forget about those people in your life who are hurting from losing a loved one and walking through this season with the heavy burden of grief. Spend some time today thinking about friends, relatives and co-workers who might be putting on a brave face but in reality are desperately sad, lonely and grieving. Read through this blog about “The Quiet Struggle of Feeling Alone” during the holidays to get a sense of what they might be going through. Last year, I shared a bunch of ways in this blog to support those grieving during this season and I’m going to re-share them now because they still apply! 

“On the first day of grieving, my good friend gave to me….” isn’t a song but maybe it should be! There are lots of different ways to provide comfort for a grieving friend, gestures of sympathy, and ways to let someone know you are thinking of them. Here are just a few (partridge in a pear tree not included): 

• Send a snail mail card - After we lost our son Cooper at full term, I remember I was still receiving cards in the mail months later from a long distance friend and they lifted my spirits each time I walked from the mailbox! 
• Spend time with them - Grief can be lonely, especially around the holiday season. Offer to get an eggnog latte with them if they want to talk or watch a Christmas movie together if silence might be easier. 
• Daily Check In - Consistency breeds connection. Maybe your friend would appreciate a text each morning letting them know they were on your heart and you prayed for them or thought of them. 
• Deliver a Meal - Who doesn’t appreciate free food?? Whether you make it from scratch, pickup takeout, or grab a #4 from Chick-Fil-A with a half-sweet half unsweet tea (just in case you ever need my order…) delivering a meal lets them know they were on someone’s mind. 
• Be Their Plus One - If this is their first work party going without their spouse, offer to be their guest and tag along. That could be a huge relief, knowing they won’t be alone. 
• Exercise Together - We are all familiar with the health benefits of exercise post grief, so suggest going for a walk, taking a yoga class together or even trying a sauna/cold plunge studio to experience something new! 
• Listen Without Offering Advice - This gesture of support can’t be overstated. Sit and listen with no agenda, no need to share “your” story and no judgment. 
• Make them a playlist - Maybe it’s my elder millennial-ness but I have a fondness for those mix CDs we gave each other in decades past. Put together a curated playlist of your favorite songs for your friend and share it with them through Spotify or Apple Music.
• Offer To Help - This will look different depending on their loss and circumstance. School pickup assists are great for a busy mom or dad who is navigating single parenting. For someone else, offering to help hang Christmas lights might be a wonderful way to spread Christmas cheer. A family that lost their mom might love a female friend coming to bake cookies with them. 
• Invite Them To Church - If they might be open to it, invite them to your place of worship for a Christmas Eve service. Don’t be pushy about it and if they say “no,” leave it but they might appreciate the offer nonetheless! 
• Include Them In Plans - Heading out to look at Christmas lights? See if they want to join. I recently hosted my second annual “Jammies and Jude Law” party to get cozy and watch The Holiday. I reached out to a friend who lives in a different state and is grieving the loss of her mom. I invited her to join us even though I knew it was a longshot because on the off chance she could make it, I wanted to give her the chance. 
• Send Them a Gift - Gifts are a tangible expression of love and thoughtfulness. Laurelbox offers so many beautiful memorial and keepsake gifts that would be so meaningful to a grieving friend. Especially consider the Holiday collection that includes, ornaments, a remembrance tree, and memorial candles. Just last month, I sent a “Dad’s Love is Forever” candle, a remembrance ornament and a set of windchimes to my sister-in-law after she unexpectedly lost her father. 

I hope this blog has been helpful in providing lots of ways for giving back during the holidays. It’s so important to help those in need during the holidays as well as those grieving the loss of a loved one. From volunteering your time, buying gifts for children in need, donating gently used cold weather items or sending money, there are numerous ways to be generous this Christmas season. Take time and reach out to those in your circle who are grieving and show them a little extra love and compassion during a difficult and challenging season. Just like Ebeneezer Scrooge, you too can pledge, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year!”