 
"Maybe
Christmas.....DOESN'T come from a store. Maybe Christmas.... perhaps......means
a little bit more.".......Dr. Suess 1957  Whenever
possible, instead of money, give the gift of your time: to your family, your friends
and your community, large or small.
Not sure
where to give of your time? HELPING.ORG can help! Encourage
the kids to do one ANONYMOUS random act of kindness for someone every day.....hopefully
it'll become a habit and carry over long after the holidays are past. Check with
your local hospice and volunteer to bring meals in for a family. Volunteer
to work at your local soup kitchens and homeless shelters. The work there will
undoubtedly touch your heart. Use today's
technology to produce videos of old slides, movies and photos for friends or family. Give parents
a break-tend someone's children for a few hours. Give a memory.
Ask friends and family what they most remember about Christmas' past. If it was
a special meal, cook it for them. If it was a special movie, rent it for them.
If there were special games, play them. If there was a special song that evokes
a warm pleasant feeling, by all means SING IT! Undoubtedly, you'll be creating
a NEW special memory. Create small
Christmas stockings and fill them with sample size beauty and hygiene products.
Deliver them to hospitals, youth centers, homeless shelters or nursing homes on
Christmas Day. Run errands
for the elderly or disabled in your neighborhood. Money
can be spent at many places other than the mega-malls: Introduce
a new holiday tradition where each person in the family gives at least one homemade
gift to another family member. This can be the start of the discovery of a great
many creative talents! Purchase
a tree for someone through Windstar's *Trees
From Grass Roots* project to benefit the recipient, the planet, PLANT-IT 2000
and the Windstar Foundation. Donate new,
unwrapped toys to TOYS for TOTS. Fill your
pockets with change before leaving home during the holidays. Drop money, even
a few pennies, into every charity receptacle. Purchase
Gifts From the Heart on behalf of Habitat
for Humanity. Sponsor
an animal from the local zoo, humane society or shelter either in your name or
someone else's. When doing
your holiday food shopping, buy two items instead of one and donate the extras
to a food pantry or needy family directly. Often times, the food pantry shelves
are stocked at the holidays but dwindle after that. PLEASE remember that the need
for food is year-round and give all through the year. Participate
in a *Sharing Tree* often times located in local shipping centers. Ask each
member of the family to choose a special charitable organization to which to donate
to; one that means something special to them. Even young children can understand
the need to help other children in crisis, or preserve the environment, save endangered
wildlife or give to research of life-threatening illnesses. It's never too young
to begin making a difference. Sponsor
a child, family or village through Compassion International , Save the Children
or other legitimate organizations. Use your
frequent flier miles to make it possible for someone to fly home for the holidays
or other special event. Anonymously
arrange for the delivery of something special to an individual you know who works
very hard with little acknowledgment. Include
holiday greetings with your bill payments. Try shopping
at garage sales......it's recycling AND money saving! Toys are often plentiful! Contact
a medical clinic and offer to pay, anonymously, a bill for someone who is otherwise
unable to pay. Think ENVIRONMENT
for the holidays....buy recycled cards and wrapping...........better yet, try
re-useable wrap. Homemade cloth bags are great and can be used by recipients over
and over. Containers that are part of the gift and meant to be reused can make
a wonderful presentation. For a post-high
school student, anonymously offer to pay for a class or a credit. Send tickets
to a musical event for someone who you know can't afford it or invite someone
along who otherwise couldn't go. Stretch
your imagination - help make someone's life more joyful, more peaceful - not only
during the holiday season but all year round. 
A
few thoughts to ponder when feeling overwhelmed with hectic schedules and over
stretched budgets: If you have food in the refrigerator,
clothes on
your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep ...
you are
richer than 75% of this world. If
you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and
spare change in a dish someplace
... you are among
the top 8% of the world's wealthy. If
you woke up this morning with more health than
illness ... you are more blessed
than the million
who will not survive this week. If
you have never experienced the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment,
the agony of
torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are
ahead
of 500 million people in the world. If you
can attend a church meeting without fear of
harassment, arrest, torture, or
death ... you are
more blessed than three billion people in the world. If
your parents are still alive and still married
... you are very rare,
even in the United States. If
you hold up your head with a smile on your face
and are truly thankful ...
you are blessed because
the majority can, but most do not. If
you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even
touch them on the shoulder ...
you are blessed
because you can offer a healing touch.
BE the difference
the world needs; this holiday season and throughout the coming year | 