With the holiday season approaching, many of us are in brighter spirits and are more than ready to help spread cheer. While we should try to inspire kindness every day with simple things, like smiling or holding open a door for someone, the holidays are when we really start to feel like things are generally happier and merrior. I’m sure we’ve all had the days where we feel like absolute crap and someone picks us up somehow by doing something kind, and I’m sure we’ve also wanted to return that feeling somehow. Well, think no more, take initiative to spread love and kindness, and consider these 5 ways to pay it forward this holiday season.

1. Buy someone’s coffee or food

So, I worked in fast food for majority of high school at Chick-fil-A and one of my favorite times to work was this time of year. It wasn’t from the blistering cold that greeted me every time I opened up the drive-thru window, obviously, but instead because every now and then we would get a customer that would do something simple, like buy the stranger behind them’s food for them. That action would start a chain reaction. From there, it would start a trend of everyone paying for the person behind them in line’s food for at least an hour and, without fail, it would fill me with joy to even be a part of.

We’ve all had those days where we are not just a mere passenger of the struggle bus, but the driver. You woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you’re running late, you’re absolutely freaking exhausted, but you have just enough time to buy yourself some breakfast and coffee (or, more so, you make the time). You go through the drive-through, order yourself your usual, get frustrated over how long the line is taking, and finally pull up to the window to pay only to hear that it’s already been paid for. How do you think that impacts your day?

2. Leave encouraging Post-It notes for people to find

This one I can’t stress enough. While the holidays are a great time for most people, filled with joy and love and family, for some, it might not be so great. There are those that don’t have homes or are not welcome in their families. There are those that get depressed this time of year. There are millions of reasons that someone might not enjoy the holidays, and they deserve to feel the holiday love and cheer more than anyone.

I’ve done this activity for my Positive Psychology class this semester and the reactions of people are so inspiring. A small message like “You’re beautiful” or “I love you” on a Post-It note left in the bathroom can completely turn someone’s day around. It’s anonymous, it’s easy, and the worst thing you can do is make someone smile.

3. Donate your old clothes

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have some of the advantages that we might have. Warm winter clothes is one of those advantages. Especially with the weather getting colder and snowy weather on the horizon, it’s important to remember to give what we have to those that need it. Donating your old clothes, shoes, blankets, etc. to homeless shelters, crisis centers, and/or churches can really impact not only someone’s day, but someone’s life.

4. Volunteer

One of the best decisions I’ve made is getting involved in a service organization in my time at college called Alpha Phi Omega. It gives me the opportunity to give back to my community through volunteering. You don’t have to be a part of a club to dedicate your time to a good cause, though. Reach out to local animal shelters, soup kitchens, etc. and find out how you can get involved to help out. It only has to take a few hours of your day and it can go a long way to helping someone else.

5. Donate old toys

This one is my favorite and personally something that I wish I participated in growing up. I heard the idea from a professor 22 years too late, though. Every Christmas, she got her kids to donate their old toys that they didn’t play with to shelters to make room for the new toys they were getting for Christmas. This not only has the potential to make kids feel great and remember what the true meaning of the holidays are, but it also gives a kid that doesn’t have a permanent home a Christmas present. It gives a parent that may not have the money to buy anything for their child something to give them, no matter how small. And, lastly, it encourages children to hold that true meaning of the holidays in their hearts for the rest of their lives.