Christmas is a wonderful time a year. A busy, busy time. A time that you have to work hard not to stretch yourself and say yes to everything. It is easy to want to fill the calendar with many wonderful traditions and get togethers. Moms are tired and stressed. Kids are thinking about all the gifts they hope to receive. Parents stress how they will pay for it.
This time of year can easily lose the joy and purpose of the season. There is nothing wrong with celebrating, giving gifts and having lots of fun. This is my favorite time of year! It is a time of year we talk about love and giving.
What kinds of things can we do to serve others? What can we do to spread love and light? We need to be the light in a dark world. I know that life is tough for so many financially right now. The economy is uncertain…everything is uncertain. But one thing still stands true…we need to love, serve, give to others. Some may not be able to give much…it is more about the attitude of the heart and it is a great way to teach our children about serving others.
Here are some ways that we can make a difference this Christmas season:
Adopt a family in need ~Pray that the Lord would show you a family in your community that needs help this year. Take them a nice meal. Buy items that are needed. Give them, especially the children, a special Christmas gift. Find out what needs they have… firewood, doctor bill overdue, having a hard time buying groceries, clothing? Consider asking another family, church or organization to help make this Christmas a special time for this family.
Help the homeless ~ It is difficult to know if they people standing on the side of the road asking for help need it or not. It is hard not to wonder. But it is not my job to judge and say just go get a job. I don’t know their situation or story. But I do know that it is possible to bring a little light to their day. So, when you drive by, consider giving them a gift card to the local fast food restaurant, along with a track or Bible and a goodie bag of toiletries and snacks. Or pick up a meal and a nice cup of coffee and give it to them. Smile and tell them that God loves them.
Donate to a food panty or soup kitchen ~ When you do your grocery shopping, buy extra that you can donate to a local food panty or soup kitchen. Volunteer to serve for a few hours with your family.
Buy a meal for the person behind you in line ~ A simple way to spread some Christmas cheer is to buy the person’s meal behind you in line when you are going through a drive thru. Or if you are in a restaurant, pray and look around for someone that the Lord wants you to help. Tell the waitress you want to anonymously pay for their bill. You never know what this act of love will do for a person and perhaps they will pay it forward.
Help an older person or someone home bound ~ Know someone who can’t get out much or it is very difficult for them to do things? Offer to help clean their house, yard, take them Christmas or grocery shopping. If they aren’t able to go out, get their list and do it for them. Take time to visit with them and lift their spirits.
Surprise others with Mystery Gifts ~Know of someone who is depressed, overwhelmed and just needs a little encouragement. Or it can be for a family member, neighbor, mail carrier, UPS driver…there are lots of possibilities. Bake some goodies, get little thing they might like, buy a gift card to a favorite restaurant. You never know how a little act of love will brighten someone’s day?
Another way to make a difference this Christmas and always is to support some of these ministries:
Samaritan’s Purse
Share the true meaning of Christmas and love by helping this organization. You can donate to their ministry or you can purchase items to be gifted around the world. This is such a great ministry and is always a first responder to tragedy and problems all over the world.
Browse the Catalog with your family. Bless a family this year by choosing some of the 43 gifts wrapped with hope.
Wonder all the ways you can get involved? Learn more about what they need here or donate through the catalog.
What are your favorite ways to help others this Christmas?
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is upon us once again. 2018 has flown right by and the holiday season is in full swing. With Christmas being the season of giving, I’ve gotten together with some pretty awesome bloggers to give TWO families some CASH in the 5th annual Christmas Blessings Giveaway – $500 cash (delivered via Paypal).
We hope that the prize will be a blessing to the winning families and help them to fulfill their kids’ Christmas wishes, pay off some bills, or to save for a rainy day. Whatever the money ends up being used for, our prayer is that it helps to lessen any financial burden and/or fills a specific need.
There are lots of entry options in the Rafflecopter form below – the more you enter, the better your chance of winning! I know it can seem tedious and time consuming to go through all the entries, but isn’t a chance at $500 worth it? I think it is! Plus, all of these generous bloggers donated their own money toward the cash prizes and this giveaway wouldn’t be possible without them. So I hope you’ll take the time to check out each one. Who knows, maybe you will find your new favorite blog.
The giveaway will run from Monday, November 12th through Wednesday, November 21st (ends at 11:59pm EST). Winner will be notified by email shortly after the giveaway ends and will have 48 hours to respond to claim the prize or another winner will be drawn. You must have a Paypal account to win. Please be sure to read the Rafflecopter terms and conditions upon entering.
