“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

By Taylor Smith

Giving back during the holidays doesn’t have to cost a lot of time or money. Simple gifts of happiness and good cheer can go a long way in improving another person’s day. Here are some suggestions for being more generous this time of year.

1. Bake an extra pie and share it with your coworkers or the local fire station.
2. Collect food, bedding, toys, and treats for a local animal shelter.
3. Sing carols and serve cookies at an assisted-living facility for the elderly.
4. Say “please” and “thank you” when running holiday errands. A warm smile or refraining from laying on the horn in traffic is a way of sharing the gift of happiness, too.
5. Donate blood to the American Red Cross.
6. Send holiday cards to those serving in the military.
7. Donate gently-used items to area homeless shelters, the Salvation Army, or Goodwill.
8. Personalize your holiday cards with a handwritten note of “thanks” and “love.”
9. Save loose change in a jar, turning it into gift cards or cash that can be donated to your favorite cause.
10. Buy a book and gift it to your local public library. Who knows? Your favorite novel could equally inspire and bring comfort to someone else.