Christmas is a time for giving

Spread The Money Shed Happiness: Christmas is a time for giving

Most of us spend our Christmas holidays with the people we love, content with our jolly festivities and that warm and fuzzy feeling inside. However, it’s easy to forget that there are many people in the UK and worldwide who are much less fortunate then ourselves. Many people do not have a home, do not have simple sanitation and healthcare facilities, live from one meal to the next and never have the luxury of a Christmas present. A lot of these are children. Children just like your own bundles of joy, your nieces, nephews or grandchildren.

Now is the time to think about whether you can help someone else and make their festive period something special too. There are so many things that you could get involved in, some of which will not cost you anything at all. Can any of us really put a value on something as simple as a chat or a hug?

Here are The Money Shed’s top 10 tips for Christmas giving:

1)      Send a Christmas card to the neighbour who doesn’t have any family, many of these are elderly, but some are not.

2)      Invite an isolated neighbour for a festive meal at your home, this could be Christmas dinner but it doesn’t have to be.

3)      Make (or buy) Christmas themed biscuits or cakes and drop them off at your local homeless shelter. They also really appreciate tinned goods, especially meals, potatoes and vegetables. It’s tempting to take fresh luxury items, but these will not be as useful as items that have a long best before date.

4)      Spend time volunteering at your local homeless shelter, again this could be Christmas day, but doesn’t have to be.

5)      Invite a homeless person on the street to sit down for lunch with you at a local café.

6)      Join the Shoe Box Appeal. Boxes are given to less fortunate children around the world, and can make the difference between them thinking no one cares, to them feeling special. This is a fantastic activity to do with your own children, and helps teach them about the struggles of other children. It is a humbling task. Get a shoe box from your local shoe shop. Wrap the box and lid separately in wrapping paper. Fill it to the brim with goodies off the suggestion list. Put a photo of your child in, and a little note. It’s guaranteed that you will feel as happy doing this as the child will be receiving it. There are many charities that do this such as: www.internationalaidtrust.org.uk. Some schools and churches also let you drop the boxes off with them, and they deal with the delivery.

7)      ChildLine have a Christmas appeal ‘Call for Help’, for children who may be suffering abuse rather than happiness this Christmas. Last year they provided 23,000 counselling sessions to children who needed them. Help make sure that ever call is answered by donating.

8)      Be kind to one another. Charity starts at home as they say. Help each other out. Think about what your partner, children, mother and father appreciate the most. This could be a foot massage, a favourite meal or a personalised poem. Try to make that person feel special and appreciated. Any parent will tell you that a hug from their child is worth more than any diamond ring.

9)      Forgive someone that has done you wrong. Forgiveness is said to be one of the greatest gifts you can ever give someone. It will be difficult, but true forgiveness is a wonderful and enlightening thing to experience.

10)   Be kind to yourself. Take a day off and relax, you deserve it. All this money making can be a tiring business.

Whether you give time or money this Christmas, try to do something that will make someone else feel special. It’s the little things in life that can make the biggest difference.