Why Not Volunteer This Holiday Season for a Good Cause?

It’s been said that the holiday spirit is about giving, not receiving. Yet it’s hard to get past the materialism and commercialism of the season as gift-buying reaches a feverish pitch. If you are looking for a way to give more meaning to the holidays, consider volunteering your time. Here are some ways in which you can get your family into the giving spirit this holiday season.

1. Homeless shelters or soup kitchens

This is a busy time of year for such organizations. Volunteering your time to help feed and shelter those in need will help the shelter staff as well as the needy. Putting a face on people who are less fortunate can have an impact on your family, and induce a sense of gratitude.

2. Charities

Meals on Wheels, Good Will, and local charities need help during the holidays. Donations of food or money are welcome, but time is especially helpful – we all know how precious time is these days. You can help organize food baskets for food pantries, make and deliver meals to shut-ins, or pass out hot drinks to charity workers.

Your community likely has a “secret Santa” program or other event that organizes and delivers toys to needy children. Why not take some time to clean out and donate some of your excess items, or purchase a toy for a less fortunate child? Delivering such gifts can be a meaningful experience as well.

3. Church programs 

Most churches have food pantries or other programs for needy people, and help is welcome. Some churches have groups who visit shut-ins and sing carols, and anyone can participate. There are also Christmas food baskets that need to be organized and delivered, and like other charities, churches will often collect and deliver toys to needy children.

4. Assisted living or nursing homes

The holidays can be very lonely for residents in personal care homes. Elderly people miss their deceased friends and family at this time of year, and they also may miss their homes and their old life. Bring some holiday spirit to these special people by visiting, singing carols, or making and passing out cards.

The staff of assisted living facilities also needs some help and encouragement at this busy time of year – workers are often on vacation, leaving fewer staff. Bring the nurses and other workers a plate of cookies or hand out cards.

5. Soldiers in the military

Organizations such as Any Soldier put together and distribute care packages for soldiers stationed overseas, and volunteers are appreciated. Your family can make home-made cards to include in the package, too.  

Giving to others is the best way to make the holidays more meaningful, and giving the gift of your time is one of the most meaningful gifts. The best perk though is that volunteering together as a family can create a long lasting bond.

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In this day and age of constant stimulus and a lifestyle that is often rushed and packed with activities, children need time to “recharge” more than ever. While meditation is often viewed as a practice for adults, children can benefit greatly from it, too. These benefits can be carried into adulthood as useful life skills as well. Here are some of the ways that meditation can be good for kids.

- Reduced anxiety
Anxiety can lead to or be connected with depression and physical disorders such as digestive disturbances. Although adults tend to remember childhood as idyllic, children actually encounter a great deal of anxiety in their young lives. From dealing with difficult school subjects to facing bullies to family trauma, children need a way to reduce the anxiety they feel. Reducing anxiety also helps improve academic test scores.

- Enhanced concentration
Once again, meditation can help in school performance. With ADD and ADHD getting more and more prevalent among the young, being able to increase concentration can be a major benefit of meditation.

- Mental clarity and focus
Children often have a hard time focusing on one thing for very long. In an era of short visual images from television or the computer, it’s important that children train their brains to stay on one subject, topic or idea for progressively longer lengths of time. Meditation trains the brain to do this.

- Better control over anger
Helping children get a handle on their emotions, especially anger, is very beneficial. Children who can handle their anger have more and better peer relationships, and do better as adults. Anger can be destructive and frightening, and kids need to see that they can control their emotions and responses. Meditation produces a sense of calm, and teachers have said it enhances children’s compassion toward one another.

- Greater ability to handle stress
Meditation seems to carve “pathways” in the brain that go from being a deliberate exercise to an automatic response. Kids who practice meditation not only find they can handle their current stress better, but they also exhibit a greater ability to deal with stress as it comes. 

Meditation can be done by parents at home, incorporated into a classroom setting, or with an instructor. Only a few minutes a day are required to obtain some of the benefits. Teaching children the art of meditation gives them important life skills that will bring immediate help as well as setting the stage for a productive future.

Read: Meditation for Kids: (And Other Beings) (Little Books With Big Ideas)