The snow is shining, the semester is wrapping up and winter is in the air! I cannot wait for all the holiday happiness that is just around the corner. ‘Tis the season of giving, which, after all, is the best time of the year. This article is a list of ways in which we can spread Christmas cheer, aside from the obvious one: singing loud for all to hear.
1. Send Cards
This is the perfect time of year to either send out holiday greeting cards or, even thank you cards (and I’m not talking about emails, I am talking about genuine handwritten cards). As students, we will have some extra time once classes end for the term, and this spare time is the right time to say, thank you! Gratitude is important, yet sadly under-practiced. People appreciate being appreciated, and that’s a fact. So make a list, check it twice and send out cards to all the nice people in your life.
2. Play Catch Up
The holidays are a great time to catch up with old friends, new friends, family, whoever you miss. Buy them a coffee, or a hot chocolate and just talk the night away. It’s cold outside, but it’s warm inside with hot drinks and good company. Initiating plans with people you hold close to your heart will let them know you care, even if these plans only involve a crappy cup of coffee.
3. Be Charitable
There are many opportunities for you to help out over the holidays. You can find these opportunities on websites such as the KW volunteer action centre if you don’t have the spare time, spare change and vice versa. Generosity is an amiable trait that not everyone has, just ask Ebenezer Scrooge. As an example, food drives are a great way to help make sure everyone gets a fulfilling holiday meal. I helped run one very recently with The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and it was a great success. Go to their site to see how you can run your very own food drive.
4. Be Kind
In Canada, we are stereotypically polite by nature, but imagine how polite we could be if we were actively focusing on being kind. Why not try and smile at people you pass by, instead of turning to your phone in some sort of anti-social non-greeting. Maybe try to hold open more doors, offer more favours, and thank people for things you would otherwise overlook. Partake in more random acts of kindness. For example, when I go through a drive through with my mum, she will often pay for herself and the car behind her, then she tells the server at the window to wish the car behind her a good day. Simple things like that can make someone’s day, week or even month!
Spreading Christmas Cheer is as easy as spreading smooth peanut butter. It’s about seeing a need and filling it and it’s about being thoughtful. ‘Tis the sELFless season, full of potential. Gifts are great but so are hugs, Christmas cards and crappy coffee. So get out there, send some cards, play catch up, be charitable, be kind, sing loud for all to hear and treat every day like it’s Christmas.