Now that Thanksgiving has passed, we transition out of the season of giving thanks into the season of giving back. If you have phone or computer access to read this post, you already have so much to be thankful for. It’s very easy to take for granted all the things a lot of us are blessed to have in our lives until one day it might be gone. Because we have so much to be thankful for it’s good to give back to others who may be less fortunate, especially this time of the year.

A couple years back my mom and I decided to make homemade wreaths for all of her close cousins. Not only was it a fun and creative project but it meant so much to all her cousins. Now as each holiday season passes and we visit with family, my mom is filled with so much joy to see her family putting their gifts to use. Doing something like this project is not only thoughtful but every season that comes around you’re reminded of the memories and the sentiment of the gift.

So to help you get creative about how you can give back this holiday season, I’ve rounded out 15 ideas of ways you can give back this holiday season:

1. Volunteer at a food shelter
2. Contact a local/children’s hospital and see how you can volunteer. Example: Read stories or bring a box of toys to donate.
3. Collect cans of food and donate them to a food bank
4. Pay for the order of a random person. Example: Coffee or fast food order of the person behind you.
5. Bake some holiday treats and share the sweet merriment with your friends or neighbors
6. Clean out your closet and donate unwanted items to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or a local donation center
7. Create a gift for loved ones that exceeds monetary value. Example: Have a beautiful photo framed and send it as a gift to someone special.
8. Research local blood drives occurring in your area to donate blood
9. Write a note or send an email to someone who has positively impacted your life
10. Leave a note of cheer on someone’s windshield
11. Inquire with your church, workplace, gym about opportunities for a giving tree or sponsoring a family in need for the holidays
12. Give an unexpected generous tip to make someone’s day
13. Call a friend you haven’t talked to all year
14. Research charities or foundations you may be passionate about and make a donation
15. Simple – smile at a stranger 🙂

Hopefully you can find some time this holiday season to take advantage of some of these ideas to give back, and not just to your community but also to the people in your daily life. Let me know in the comments how you plan to give back this holiday season. Happy Holidays all!!