9 Ways to Be a Christmas Blessing ...

One of the best ways to be a Christmas blessing is to be a Secret Santa! For this idea you can go all out, or keep it quiet and simple. Choose a family you know that may not have much money to celebrate this year. Buy each member of their family a gift and leave it at their house, preferably while they are away. You can include decorations and groceries for Christmas dinner if you’d like to go that far! To keep it simple, buy a gift for someone that can’t really afford what they especially want this year, and have it delivered in secret.

We all know it’s more blessed to give than to receive, so if you want to have yourself a merry little Christmas, pay it forward! You can do this anywhere you’d like, in a drive thru, at a gas station, in the toy store, or at the grocery store or pharmacy. No matter where you choose to pay it forward, you can be assured that you are being a huge Christmas blessing to someone out there!

One of my favorite ways to spread goodwill towards men at Christmas time is to pass out little treats to people I meet as I go through my day. You can bake a batch of cookies or pick up some Christmas candy and fix up little bags, then pass them out to people like cashiers, door greeters, servicemen, postal workers, and other people you see. My mom and I once bought a cup of hot chocolate for the bell ringer outside of a local business one cold winter evening. I’ll never forget the look on his face!

Here’s a way you can bring some joy to the world! Do you know a mother who is stretched to the limit with holiday preparations? Offer to babysit for her one afternoon so she can finish her shopping and gift-wrapping! You could take the kids to do something fun, or hang out with them and play games to give mom some much-needed sanity time. Any mother out there would appreciate this random act of kindness more than you may ever know.

If you have neighbors who have yet to put out their Christmas décor, why not devote one afternoon to helping out? Or maybe your grandmother is getting along in her years, and needs help putting up her tree. Whomever you choose to help with putting out their Christmas stuff will greatly appreciate the extra helping hand! Stringing up lights and garland can be a chore by yourself, so don’t hesitate to volunteer.

Here’s your chance to help spread some peace on earth. Look around at your local shelters and volunteer to help out one weekend. There are so many others who don’t have a family, or even a place to spend Christmas this year, and are finding solace in local shelters. Helping serve a meal, pass out goody bags, or even just talking to a few lonely souls will do more good than you even realize, making you a wonderful Christmas blessing to someone this year!

Maybe you don’t have the time to help out at a shelter, but you can still help someone to have a holly jolly Christmas anyways! Many shelters are always receiving donations for gently used clothing, toys, dishes, and blankets, and new food and personal hygiene items. If you happen to have some things lying around your house that you don’t need anymore, gather them up and make a donation to a local shelter to make someone else happy.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… to make baked goods! Christmas is certainly a time for sweets so indulge yourself-and others-in an array of goodies! When you bake your next batch of holiday sweets, make a few extra. Then you can deliver a pan to your next-door neighbors as you leave for work, and have extra to share with your boss and co-workers.

Christmas caroling is the perfect opportunity to go walking in a winter wonderland! For this idea you need a few willing friends, but you could certainly make an afternoon of it. Choose a few local places to visit and have a few carols to sing when you get there. Hospitals and retirement homes are excellent places to start. You’ll be a wonderful Christmas blessing with this idea!

I hope my list of ways to be a Christmas blessing has inspired you to do something lovely this year for a loved one or friend in need. Most of these ideas don’t require a lot of money, just your time and a good attitude. What are some of your favorite ways to be a Christmas blessing?

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