With Christmas around the corner, many wonder how they can maintain holiday spirit even with COVID-19 regulations. To preserve the spirit of merriment, you can help others and give back to the community. Here are five ways to help out this holiday season:
You can donate to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and other groups in need. There are many options for donations. If you don’t want to make monetary donations, you can gather unwanted clothes that you would like to donate. You can also encourage family and friends to donate as well. Other options for donations include food and basic necessities, like toiletries.
Alternatively, you can start your own fundraiser. If you want to start a fundraiser, you can look into a crowdfunding platform, like GoFundMe. Crowdfunding platforms allow you to solicit funds from your friends, family, and even online strangers depending on whether you advertise virtually. You can also start a small business and donate proceeds to charity. Students have fundraised by selling masks, baked goods, and arts and crafts. After you decide what you will be selling, you can advertise through platforms such as Instagram or Nextdoor.
Another option is to deliver gifts to people in your community. Many are stressed and struggling to provide for their families, and sometimes a positive message is all it takes to brighten someone’s day. It doesn’t take much effort to express appreciation in a card or video to those who need to be cheered up, and the effort would be appreciated. You can even combine a note with a gift—baked goods, handicrafts, and so on.
In addition, this year, you can consider supporting frontline workers and business owners, given that many of them are facing tough times during the pandemic. You can order takeout to support restaurants. You can also purchase a gift card from other businesses that might be struggling to stay open. To support essential workers, especially those who cannot take the holidays off, you can donate to organizations that help them. For instance, you can donate to Frontline Foods (https://www.frontlinefoods.org/) to help feed frontline workers.
Finally, you can consider volunteering for organizations that help those in need, like the local food pantry and food bank. You can find other volunteering opportunities, including remote ones, on websites like volunteermatch.org or Instagram.
Regardless of how you choose to help, you should always give your community the gift of lowering coronavirus cases. Make sure to follow social distancing requirements, wear a mask, and adhere to COVID-19 regulations. Although there are more restrictions with gift-giving this year, you can still maintain the generous spirit of traditional holidays.
