Whether you’ve already started listening to Christmas music or you’re looking for the perfect (and loosely fitted) outfit for Thanksgiving, the holiday season is well underway. With it comes joy and kindness filling the air. If you need a little help on how to spread all the love that you have to give this year, here are some ideas!
1. Send a message.
In any way you’d like to; it could be a text, email, phone call or an actual handwritten letter. Whether you talk to this person every day or haven't in a while, you’d be surprised how much reaching out and letting someone know how much you appreciate them means.
2. Pay for someone's food/drink.
This is sweet to do and sweet to see from someone watching in the store; it’s probably the most contagious. It’s a perfect way to make a complete stranger's day in a way they would never expect.
3. Pay for someone's tolls.
These little burdens have gotten expensive, especially if you're traveling a lot for the holidays. Even though you won’t get to see the direct result of this happening, it’ll make a difference in someone’s day all the same.
4. Say good morning.
It seems simple, but it’t not always easy, especially before coffee. Nonetheless, the way you start your day can influence the entire rest, so be the person that brightens a morning.
5. Hold a door.
Simple and very considerate.
6. Surprise someone.
With anything - a present, food or literally just stopping by.
7. Overtip your server.
Especially during the holiday season, they're busy and stressed, having to accommodate to people who are also busy, stressed and overwhelmed with family in town. They work hard and tips are a big deal; a generous tip and a nice note left on the table can go a long way.
8. Ask your cashier how their day is going.
However stressed you are while shopping during the holidays, multiply it by 10 for cashiers. They have to manage both a customer's stress and their own, being the bigger person the entire time. A simple acknowledgment that they’re a real person and not a constantly filtered robot can mean a lot.
9. Make baked goods for your friends.
Cheap, easy and delicious.
10. Compliment that kind-of friend.
The person you politely say "hi" to every once in a while but don't know very well, ask them how their day has been, or tell them something you admire about them.
11. Tell someone that they’re doing a good job.
As much as this season is joyful, it can also be very overwhelming. A simple “you're doing great” can be just the thing someone needs to hear.
12. Donate blood if you get the chance.
This is another one that you don't get to see the direct result of and might not be too easy for some, but there’s a surprising amount of people who can’t donate because of how specifically blood is screened. There’s always a need, and as someone who’s needed someone else’s blood before, I am so thankful for the random stranger who decided to take some time out of their day and give what they could.
13. Bring in grocery carts.
Manual labor is never fun, and for some, this is all they do all day. Take five minutes to help out.
14. Make someone a playlist.
Music speaks loudly to me, and I find it extremely thoughtful when someone wants to share it with me.
15. Donate clothes.
It may be easy to sell to friends or certain places like Plato’s Closet, but donations are needed to provide Christmas presents for some. You can de-clutter, and it’s an easy way to brighten someone’s day to find something they love that’s been donated.
Above all, remember kindness this holiday season. Don’t be afraid to go out of your way and do the thing that doesn't make sense. It has the potential to go a very long way.
