This is my son’s 3rd holiday season and he has learned quickly what it is all about...presents!
On the other hand, I have been overwhelmed a little this holiday season trying to figure out what I am going to get all my loved ones and if we really need all this extra stuff?
So I decided to focus our family activities this month on “giving” rather than receiving. There is joy in giving, especially when it brings joy to others.
For the first week of my giving challenge, I decided to focus on giving things that we do not need any more in our household. There are a lot of charities that have extra drives during this time of year, so it is relatively easy to find an outlet for extra stuff, especially cold weather or holiday related. Fortunately, my work sponsored several collection drives for different charities that I was able to help and participate in. Our church also sponsored a group that gives gifts to Foster children. Our family went shopping together to find new clothes for a 7 year old boy.
These are examples of how I gave, but you could find similar organizations nearby. You can always donate unwanted stuff to Goodwill or another thrift store.
Day 1 - Blouse and pants for “Wardrobe for Opportunity” (helps poor or homeless with job training and interview clothes). These clothes were a little fancier than I normally wear to work, so they were cluttering my closet.
Day 2 - Canned food for the local food bank. Since we shop at Costco, we always have plenty of canned beans and soup that we can share with others.
Day 3 - Hats, coats and gloves for “One Warm Coat.” The kids are constantly growing out of hats and coats, so this is a great way to get the unused clothes to people that need them.
Day 4 - Coloring books for toy drive (local Children’s hospital). I sometimes have a pile of toys and coloring books that I keep for spontaneous birthday parties or rainy days. Time to rotate it out.
Day 5 - White Elephant party at work. I found some samples I had stashed from miscellaneous events (small champagne, coffee, mug) and purchased some cookies and candy to add to the mix.
Day 6 - Fundraiser for “Tree of Angels,” local group that provides gifts to kids in Foster care.
Day 7 - Clothes for Angel tree (at church). We purchased new clothes for a 7 year old for the “Tree of Angels.”
Next week, I plan to focus on things I can do at home to give/share with others.
