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“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” as the classic song always says around this time of year. Are you ready to indulge in some holiday joy?
Before you think about wearing your favorite holiday onesie and receiving joy from your loved ones, it’s time to spread joy to others who may need that Christmas spirit for themselves.
Think about it for a moment. Some people are still being impacted drastically by the events of the pandemic. As a result, they have no happiness left within them to carry on for the holidays.
This moment is one of the exact reasons why giving back for the holidays should be something you should aim to achieve each year. Not just for bragging rights that you did something good, but also to show others why the holiday season is crucial to enjoying ourselves.
If you’re in the mood to give back some holiday cheer, join the party! Today, you will see several tips, tricks, and activities you can complete for December to help others feel the spirit of Christmas.
It's A Family Affair
Nothing beats spending quality time with all extents of your family, am I right? Christmas, especially, is a holiday that my family dubs “just for us.”
Why? Because there are no conflicts, no worries, and no time for reminiscing on the past. The only time we have for the holidays is to sit together and make new memories to make up for our missed time.
This meaningful definition of Christmas may also apply to you, only slightly changed to match your situation. However, there’s still one component of the holidays that you and I have in common: we want to make the moment last.
If the moment could last for eternity, we’d both be forever grateful. However, since time can seem limited with your family, it’s time to implement more activities that will keep moments like this alive even after the holidays pass.
If this is your goal, then hands-on activities will work best in your favor. If you’re also looking for some fun, family-friendly activities to do for Christmas, try these out this year:
Cook with your loved ones. There’s nothing wrong with extra hands in the kitchen. Plus, whoever is the designated cook for the holidays will thank you as you’re making their job much more manageable while catching up with them.
Play games that get you moving. The more active you are around your family, the more you’ll experience that feeling of being a family. Board games and card games are classic for this time of the year, but you can also make your games up as well.
Clean together. That feeling of teamwork that you get from helping your family clean sparks a bonding activity that will solidify your relationship with any loved one.
Exchange gifts. Have you ever heard of secret Santa? These activities are the perfect way to have fun with your family while also putting a little twist on Christmas.
Start a family tradition. Family traditions are classic bonding moments for families during the holidays. Does your family have one? What can you start this year to get that train going?
And if you genuinely want to keep this loving feeling alive even after the holidays are over, be sure to document your Christmas activities along the way.
You don’t have to post these to social media either. You can simply keep them for your joyous pleasure as you go through the new year and want to have a moment of extra happiness.
Friends-mas
Let’s not forget about your friends this Christmas, either. For a group of people who still choose to love you even at your worst, they deserve to spend time with you for the holidays too.
I’ve never had a get-together with friends during Christmas. However, I’ve heard of a couple of my family members having these types of get-togethers with their friends.
They always say the same thing about their “Friends-mas”: it was a beautiful experience of love among friends.
No one ever said that getting together with your friends has to be extravagant, either! You can grab a few of your friends and spend time at someone’s house for the holidays. It's as simple as that.
But, if you want to spruce it up a bit, you can do things like this:
Add more daring games to the Christmas-themed party.
Jam out to your favorite holiday songs to boost up your Christmas mood.
Deck the halls up with your favorite Christmas decorations.
Create Christmas goodies, like gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies. You can also decorate them in a silly way.
Like family get-togethers, a get-together with friends for Christmas is all about having fun and embarking on the moment. However, your and your friends' bond is the perfect way to spend your time together during the holidays.
Giving Back Where It Counts
Last Christmas was my first time gifting gifts to all my loved ones. At the time, I wasn’t making the most money to provide them with the extravagant gifts they deserved (in my opinion). Nonetheless, I wanted to get everyone something special.
I ended up getting all of my friends and family Visa gift cards to go towards whatever they wanted. Each person I gifted a card to was incredibly grateful and happy for the gesture to my delight.
Even though the gifts were small, what brought me the most joy was seeing their big smiles plastered across their faces. And honestly, that’s one of the main things that makes Christmas as pleasant as it is currently.
This year, I want to impose a Christmas challenge to encourage you to spread love. Take some time during this final holiday season of 2021 to be an angel to at least one person who needs it the most. It can be a loved one or a stranger.
Are you not sure how to get started? I’ve got you covered!
There are several actions that you can perform to give back to those in need. The most common way is through financial means, but there are other ways as well:
Time: Spend a portion of Christmas giving back through volunteering or spending time with another person who doesn't have loved ones to celebrate with at this time.
Resources: Try your hand at giving back by donating items you don't need or offering yourself as a resource to others who need help.
Service: Serving the community is another excellent way to spread Christmas joy to others who may not feel the spirit for themselves. You can do plenty of kindness for others, like volunteering at homeless shelters and even animal shelters.
Redefining The Meaning Of Christmas
Well, we’re finally here.
Christmas is our last major holiday before we begin the process of ending 2021.
Yes, I know that as you’ve been going through this blog, you might be the person who doesn’t really like Christmas like that. Honestly, I would be in that boat with you.
In the past, I never liked Christmas because I didn’t see the purpose through clear lenses. However, that was also because I didn’t feel happy at the time, and I could never find joy in another holiday.
Then, someone spread that joyous feeling that comes with Christmas to me last year. It caused me to want to give back in any way I could to see that beautiful feeling on other people's faces.
Even the most minor action can change you or another person’s mood for the holidays. Before we end 2021, will you do the same?