Have you heard the phrase “Christmas in July”? While not everyone is thinking about Christmas in Summer, it’s never too late to talk about Christmas, which is five months away! It’s essential to be wise about your spending in the Christmas season as well as it’s essential for others when we give back to the community. In this article, we will talk about both.
Below are 4 tips to implement today to be forward-thinking about December and Christmas:
Plan Ahead of Time for the Season
Planning ahead for the Christmas season will make things go much more smoothly than if you were to wing it – so make an effort to plan ahead! This way, if something doesn’t go according to plan, you have ample time and room to fix it!
Look Back on Last Year’s Spending
It’s hard to know how much to spend and what to pay for in the Christmas season if you don’t look back on your budget records from last year! So, if you had a plan last year and you’re budgeting for that this year, keep at it, but if you did not have any plans set out, take a look back and see what you spent and how much. Having a goal is key! This way, you will have a better chance of spending wisely!
Start Saving for Christmas
Contrary to what we might believe, it’s wise to start budgeting for Christmas every month! So, always put 50 dollars, 100 dollars, or whatever you planned for your budget, away.
Start putting your Christmas savings into your budget today, and start saving for Christmas early because before you know it, Christmas will be right here!
Start Looking Out for Sales Now
I know it sounds crazy, but purchase your loved ones gifts now when you can! If you’re out shopping, and you stumble on a good deal on an item from a loved one’s wish list, if you can (considering the previous step), go ahead and buy it so that when December rolls around, not only do you get to check off their name early, but you can take pride in the fact that you were a smart shopper because you found something on sale.
Now that we know what to do to start implementing a plan to prepare for the Christmas season financially let’s talk about the most important thing to do at Christmas – giving back to the community!
Christmas can be such a lovely time of year! It’s always nice when we can get together with friends and family to celebrate the season of goodwill when we can have a really lovely time mingling while eating lots of delicious foods, and making loads of beautiful memories! Truly a special season!
However, for some people, Christmas is not a good time of year but rather a harrowing reminder of what they don’t have like others may. Some people are on their own or going through a tough time during Christmas, and it is essential to show that Christmas is a great time to give back so that others less fortunate than us can enjoy Christmas where possible!
Giving back to the community is a very kind way for people to give back to the needy, and in doing so, helping them remember that they are not forgotten on Christmas day.
Below are 5 ways on how you can give back to the community during the Christmas season (or year-round):
Donate to Your Local Food or Gift Drive/Bank
There are many families and children who are in need during Christmas, and there are a lot of organizations that help them out. You may notice every year during the Christmas season that a lot of the supermarkets or food banks have someone who organizes gift and food drives where others can donate extra provisions for those in need. There is a local food drive or gift bank in every area, so once you find yours, you can buy a toy or a gift for a child and then donate what you purchased to your towns food or gift drive.
All donations will then go to the charities that are organizing the drive, and they will send the gifts and food to people and children who are in need, ensuring they can experience some of the joys of the Christmas season.
Buy a Meal, Gift or Shelter for the Homeless
Other people who are in need and suffer during the Christmas season are those who are homeless. Consider gifting a homeless person a meal, gift, gift card, or even shelter.
Every small gift goes a long way! For five dollars you can get a homeless person a healthy, nutritious, warm meal on Christmas Day! You can also pay around 30 dollars to reserve a place so that a homeless shelter charity will provide accommodation for them, allowing someone homeless to experience the warmth and security that shelter offers for a night!
Donate a Coat
This way of giving back to the community may seem like a tiny thing to do, but donating a warm winter coat becomes such a luxury and gift for those who don’t have the means to own one. Being out and about in the cold, not having a shelter or somewhere to go is terribly cold and uncomfortable, not to mention life-threatening, so gifting a warm coat to someone who needs it, will make such a massive difference!
Visit the Nursing Home with Your Kids
While there are many poor and less financially fortunate people and families who need our help during the Christmas season, we need to also think of and consider the elderly! A lot of older people who are in a nursing home, or don’t have a family to spend Christmas with, are being visited by a lot of people in their area, and they would love to enjoy your company as well! Search for local nursing homes in your area and take your kids with to surprise the lonely with a visit! The elderly thrive off the kid’s energy and compassion, and they absolutely love spending time with kids! Keep this in mind of what to do in your community during the Christmas season because it is such a lovely thing to do and a way to have your children share in giving back!
Donate Blood
Some people love to donate blood during the Christmas season to help others out who are sick and in need of blood to survive. Blood is needed all year round massively, so let’s all consider giving blood if we can. Not everyone is physically able to give blood, in which case you can give back to the community via the other ways we talked about previously. The gift of blood can save a life and it’s such a small price to pay and is very easy to do.
Invite Others to Enjoy the Christmas Season by Helping Out
Simple things like saying, “Merry Christmas!” to people on the street or any little thing you can do in order to bring a smile to someone’s face around Christmas is beautiful! Giving back – that’s priceless, and it’s the gift that keeps on giving because it’s contagious! Spread some compassion this Christmas season and spend wisely!
Share in the comments below: What is ONE method of giving back to the community that you can do to partake in this Christmas?