Let's make it a December to remember

December in general and Christmas specifically, is the time to care for your loved ones. For a lot of us, this special time means spending time with family, getting each other special gifts and showing that you care. Celebrating Christmas with friends and family is a warm tradition most of us hold on to tightly.

But as these traditions have been part of our life’s for a long time already, why wouldn’t we add a new one this year? Why not spend time and showing we care to someone who you don’t yet know, but deserves it the most? To me this is the ultimate way to spend December 2018. This time of year is the ultimate time to fill your heart with love and care. The ultimate month to do something extra and share your generous heart.

Volunteer

I planned some really cool voluntary projects with NL cares. This Dutch-based organization makes it possible to squeeze in voluntary work within your busy schedule, offering voluntary projects for just a few hours. But there are multiple pop-up and flexible volunteering organizations (find a list here).

Especially for December these organizations have a lot of fun and special projects to join:

Putting up Christmas decorations in an elderly home in Amsterdam
A Christmas high-tea to prepare and serve in Amsterdam
Guiding a disabled person to the Amsterdam Light Festival
Helping out at a Christmas bingo in The Hague
Visiting a Christmas show in Utrecht
Creating christmas bouquets in Utrecht

So why not try to find an afternoon, a Saturday morning or a day between Christmas and New Years to do something fun and something good?

I will join several christmas festivities in Amsterdam this month such as decorating trees, a high-tea and serving a christmas dinner.

A lot of companies also support their employees time to do well in December. Please check whether your employer is open for your voluntary work and would even be flexible to give you a few office hours to do voluntary work in December.

No time or space to do voluntary work but still feel you would like to give something this December? Think of these options:

Donate money:

Consider doing a donation this December. Maybe you got a bonus from your work by the end of the year, which is the perfect opportunity to do good. Donate a part of it to a good cause and you’ll for sure be satisfied to share your extra’s this Christmas.

Give away:

Maybe you’ve been cleaning up your room / your closet lately and found stuff you don’t need anymore. Consider giving it away in December. Give clothes away to good causes, or think or creating a gift box for a child. Especially around Christmas there are multiple organizations in children well-fair who create boxes with little gifts to make a child’s December special. It’s a fun thing to do, little effort and you might even get rid of stuff you didn’t need anymore.

Give a gift:

Do you get a Christmas present from work? Or did you get plenty of gifts under the christmas tree? Maybe you would like to be critical on the present(s) you receive, considering if you will use it or not. Or maybe you received something you already have. If (parts of) it isn’t your taste or useful for you, why not make someone else happy with it. Consider donating a food box to a local food bank. Consider gifts such as gloves, hats and scarves to give to a homeless shelter. Consider board games you don’t like/need to an elderly home. Consider giving toys to children organizations. It’s never a bad thing to give what you got to someone who needs it more that you do, so why not consider.

Let’s make it the most wonderful time of the year. Let’s make it a December to remember♥