The holiday season begins in late November and runs through New Year’s Day. It is marked by various gatherings of friends and family, decadent foods, traveling and gift exchanges.
However, the joy of the holidays also is about all the memorable experiences that make the season so beloved.
Here are some ways to make the holiday season that much more merry.
1. Visit with an elderly or housebound neighbor and share conversation.
2. Donate gently used toys to a children’s hospital.
3. Make handmade Christmas tree ornaments.
4. Donate money to a charity or other good cause.
5. Encourage “pay it forward” movements in your community Start by doing something simple like buying a coffee for a complete stranger.
6. Take a ride or walk around the neighborhood to look at decorated houses.
7. Make a fire in a fire pit in the yard and toast marshmallows while sipping hot chocolate.
8. Attend the concert of a children’s choir.
9. Help a friend decorate his or her home.
10. Host a tree-trimming party.
11. Schedule a day for baking cookies.
12. Sing Christmas carols at a nursing home.
13. Put together care packages of items and send them to troops overseas.
14. Share the holidays with a military family whose spouse can’t make it home for Christmas.
15. Offer to shop for someone who is homebound.
16. Babysit a newborn so his or her parents can get errands done or just catch up on rest.
17. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.
18. Remember a deceased loved one with a special tribute.
19. Construct a gingerbread house.