Community Service: How You Can Give Of Yourself During The Holidays

Check with your local Town or City Hall to see if any community service branches are collecting toys for needy children during the Christmas season. If so, this is a great opportunity for you to furnish some of those youngsters with a few holiday gifts. You don't need to spend a great deal of money - often times, sweet little dolls and sturdy trucks can be found in local dollar stores for a dollar or two. Other toys, such as coloring books, puzzles, reading books, make-up sets and simple board games can be found there, as well, along with a variety of other items that would delight a child on Christmas morning. Simply make your purchase and deliver them to the drop-off point by the deadline. Most such organizations don't want pre-wrapped gifts, so that they can sort through them before distribution. They'll take care of the wrapping after they've been divided according to specific family needs.

Visit a local convalescent home and speak to a member of the administration in order to determine what needs they might be looking to meet for their residents during the holidays. You might find that there's a need for a specific item that would benefit a group of residents or, if they tell you that the facility is equipped to handle all of their needs, ask for a list of the residents' first names. Then, purchase some inexpensive holiday cards (again, these can be found at your local dollar store, so there's no need to spend a great deal of money, if that's not feasible) and address one to each of the residents. Many of these senior citizens have no one to share the holiday with, or to simply receive a Christmas greeting from when the holidays roll around.

If you happen to know of a family in your neighborhood who's struggling during the holidays - or who are quite needy, in general - dress up as Santa Claus and arrive at their front door on Christmas Eve with a few gifts for the family (especially if they have children). Once again, it doesn't require spending a lot of money to accomplish this task, and you'll bring a feeling of joy to the little ones - and great relief to their parents. You might even consider having some canned or boxed food items in Santa's bag, so that they can have a hearty meal on Christmas Day. You'll not only be meeting the needs of a desperate family, but will provide a warm, wonderful experience for the children that will live on in their memories.

Every hospital has a children's ward, and children are always delighted by visits from Santa or one of his elves during the holidays. There's nothing quite so sad as a youngster having to spend Christmas in the hospital, and administration is always happy when someone volunteers to go in and bring smiles to the faces of the little ones. If you don't have a Santa or Elf suit, but would still like to visit, then provide entertainment in some other way. Perhaps you have a talent that they would enjoy, such as juggling or face painting. Maybe you're gifted in making children's crafts that could be brought in and distributed to brighten their spirits. Even if you don't possess a specific artistic talent, you can always arrange with the staff to go in and do some Christmas reading with a group of children as a holiday activity. There's always something that can be done to contribute - all you have to do is ask.

Unfortunately, as a safety measure - which is a sign of the times - it's usually frowned upon to provide homemade foods to people with whom we're unacquainted. If, however, there's an elderly person (or couple) in your neighborhood that you may have some sort of social connection with (even if it's just a few words of conversation every now and then), you can make their lives a great deal easier by delivering a hot meal to them on Christmas Day. Many senior citizens tend to downplay their meals, since the process of cooking can be too much for them in their golden years. Whether or not they're needy, you can still help to include them in the celebration of the season - and be sure that they eat properly - by sharing some of what you have on one of the most special days of the year. Don't worry about the possibility of someone else doing the same; they can always save one of the meals for the following day, providing a double holiday treat to enjoy - or even freeze it for later use, if they prefer.

Oftentimes, local libraries or other public service groups will establish a mitten tree for the holidays. Each construction paper styled mitten has either a gift item written on it, or the gender and age of a person in need, and is then hung as a decoration on a public Christmas tree. Those who are interested in helping the needy can take one of the mittens from the tree and purchase the suggested gift item (or a number of gift items, if the gender and age is provided). Simply return it to the designated collections person by the deadline and you'll have made someone very happy during the holiday season. On occasion, gift item suggestions are included when the gender/age system is used, so that you'll be sure that you're providing something that's truly needed (or, in the case of children, something that they're hoping to receive from Santa for Christmas).

Again, there's always something that needs to be done for the needy. Whether it's at holiday time or any other time of the year, there are a lot of needs that must be met for a large number of people, and everyone in this great world has something to offer. Open your mind, expand your horizons and bring some of what you have to your needy neighbor's table.