The original 1966 animated TV film of How the Grinch Stole Christmas is my all time favourite Christmas movie. It’s message of giving tugged at my heartstrings as a child and it still does today. Christmas is a time focused on tradition and gift giving and sometimes with all the busyness of the season, the true spirit can be lost. So as the month of December closes in on us, lets take some time to focus on how we and our businesses can give back this holiday season. I’ve created some “idea” lists for businesses, families and children and hope that a few of the ideas speak to you and help you spread a little joy during the holidays this year.
Ideas for Businesses:
- Organize a food bank drive at your office and then donate the items to your local food bank
- Plan a “team building” event for employees to volunteer at a soup kitchen or food bank
- Have office employees write out Christmas cards for seniors and then have them dropped off at a local senior’s residence
- Choose a few items from Plan Canada’s “Gifts of Hope” catalogue and collect donations
- Have everyone bring in one wrapped toy and then donate them to your local toy drive
- Offer a FREE product or service to customers that show kindness this season – For example we are giving away our 4 Piggies budgeting Stickers for FREE to families that can complete 10 acts of kindness during the month of December from our “4 Piggies SHARING Calendar”. The calendar can be downloaded for free here and details on how to collect your FREE stickers can be found here
Ideas for Individuals and Families
- Bake cookies to share with your neighbours
- Compliment someone that you don’t know
- Return a shopping cart for someone loading groceries
- Pay for someone’s coffee or meal behind you in a drive through
- Let someone in line go ahead of you
- Volunteer your time at a local animal shelter or food bank
- Leave spare change taped to vending machines or on the machines at a laundrymat
Ideas for children
- Make a Christmas card for your teacher
- Make all the beds in your house
- Call your grandparents and tell them you love them
- Find 5 people to hug today
- Hold the door open for someone behind you
- Smile at as many people as you can today
- Make a Christmas card for your bus driver
I would love to hear how your business or your family gives back during the holiday season. Please add your suggestions, comments and ideas below!
Jeanette Ramnarine resides in Belleville, ON where she and her husband are co-owners of Forward Finances. Her work and financial advice for families has appeared in various forms of media including newspaper, magazine, blogs and television. She is a licensed insurance broker and investment advisor, bringing a unique and creative approach to her clients with her knowledge and expertise in estate planning and wealth preservation.