Called to Become Great

Ways to Make This Christmas Season Special (Without Spending Any Money)

This Christmas, finances are TIGHT for so many people, us included. I won’t lie, seeing all the Christmas decorations in the store, all the toys advertised, and all the cute festive dresses has been hard. My Christmas spirit is, and always has been, strong. In fact, it is so strong, I even converted my husband from a “Thanksgiving comes first” kind of person to “November 1st is Christmas” kind of person. So yeah, at first, it was a little hard. My biggest concern was how to make Christmas special and magical for my kids. 

As I was pondering this concern over creating a magical Christmas for my kids, a thought came to my mind: “Focus on making Christmas special for those around you. Focus on Christ.” And I’m not gonna lie, I felt a little silly. OF COURSE Christmas isn’t about the gifts or the things. It’s about Christ. What feels more magical than helping others? I can make this Christmas season special by serving others and including my kids, letting them experience how good it feels to serve!

But that got me thinking – How do I serve without money??? I can make salsa, or shower steamers, or any number of things, but those still cost money!! So, as I thought some more, I compiled a list of things I can do that don’t cost any money to serve others this Christmas season. Honestly, now I want to incorporate this into every Christmas season moving forward. 

I want to share my list to inspire you! So, here it is. 

25 ideas to make Christmas special by serving others without spending any money:

1. Share a new Christmas song with a neighbor or friend
2. Reach out to a neighbor or friend via text, call, or even a note letting them know you appreciate them and why
3. Invite a friend with kids to play at the park or go to the library if it’s too cold for the park
4. Donate gently used clothes or toys to a local shelter or charity
5. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen
6. Visit the elderly at a local nursing home
7. Volunteer to help someone put their Christmas lights up, maybe someone elderly who can’t do it on their own, or a single parent who doesn’t have much time
8. Pray for someone you know.
9. Gather up the family and take an elderly or lonely person out to look at Christmas lights around town
10. Go Christmas caroling
11. Log onto the Just Serve website and find a local service project that you can help with. If you’re unfamiliar, Just Serve is an organization that posts local needs specific to your area, so you can volunteer to help others right in your own community. They also have remote service opportunities if you can’t or rather not leave your home. Check it out and see what appeals to you!
12. Volunteer with your local Meals on Wheels chapter. Meals on Wheels is a service where volunteers deliver meals to those who are homebound. Check out their website to see how you can help at mealsonwheelsamerica.org.
13. Make homemade cards with your kids and take them to visit elderly in your neighborhood or in your church congregation. 
14. Send a Christmas card to someone serving our country in the military. There are a few different options you can choose from. One is the Wounded Warrior project. This one is a way to send a card to injured military members who are alone in the hospital. Learn more about how to send a card to a wounded service member here. 
15. What are your talents? Can you sing? Play an instrument? Are you crafty? Are you handy? Find a way to share your talent in your community, whether it be performing a piano solo at your church Christmas party, singing a song to someone in a nursing home, or making something crafty to take to someone needing a pick me up. There are countless ways you can use your talents to serve those around you!
16. Pray about who you can check in on, who may need to know someone is thinking of them. When you receive your answer, act. 
17. Ask a stranger at the store how their day is going. 
18. Ask a mom with a newborn what household chores they need done. If you don’t know any moms with newborns, you could also ask a single parent, elderly person, someone who is homebound, or whoever else you might see who needs an extra hand!
19. Find out if your local hospital has a newborn cuddle volunteer program. Many do, and it is a much needed service. It is typically for newborns who are experiencing drug withdrawals from being exposed to drugs (usually opioids) in the womb and need extra care. The cuddles have been shown to help reduce the length of hospital stay and lessen the need for medication. 
20. Send a text of a scripture verse that is meaningful to you to a neighbor or friend.
21. Invite family, friends, or neighbors over to act out the Christmas story with your family.
22. Invite someone who may be lonely or going through a hard time over for dinner. 
23. Sign up to feed the missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. These missionaries are usually ages 18-21 who leave their families, college aspirations, and more for 18-24 months to teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can sign up here. 
24. Thank a retail worker for their hard work during this Christmas season. 
25. Put down your phone for a full day (outside of anything necessary) and be fully present with your family. 

Hopefully this list gives you some ideas of what you can do this Christmas season to create some REAL Christmas magic. I know I am excited to try it out! If you try any of these ideas (or all of them!), I’d love to hear from you and hear how it went!