<p>This is not a bragging thread but meant to be a sincere step out of your normal…</p>
<p>I try to do something unusual every Holiday season. It drives my H nuts as he never knows what I might do and he is not really doing such things himself. I do think that after 30 some years he has given up trying to corral me. It is never anything that BIG but something that just seems right to me. So I will give a few examples but would love to hear what you do…</p>
<p>This year I gave a clean cut homeless guy $20 instead of the $1 for the newspaper (GrassRoots and well written) that the homeless sell in order to secure a room in a hall for the night.</p>
<p>I have offered my second cousin and his GF to take my two aunts out to a very nice restaurant on me as I know none of them could otherwise (In the Midwest) and just asked that they have a toast to me.</p>
<p>Other things I have done in the past is to give the parking garage person on Christmas Eve $40. Paid the bill for a young couple in the top restaurant as he was proposing to her.</p>
<p>I try to find something outside of the box–that I can afford-- each season.</p>
<p>I like the idea of sharing things to do; it might give me some ideas I hadn’t thought of! But coming to mind first, last Friday I took our pooch to a place that was doing pictures with Santa as a fundraiser for a rescue organization. They were charging $10/picture; I only had a $20 on me, so I told them to keep the change, that it was obviously for a very worthy cause. They were EXTREMELY grateful! And I felt good doing it.</p>
<p>I’m buying gifts for an entire immigrant family that belongs to the church I work for. They get lots of support from members for the basics-plus help with utilities (since due to idiotic city rules they don’t qualify for aid), but no one thinks to give them GIFTS. So I got things like jackets for the kids, warm tops for the parents (they are from Africa and always cold), and I’m wrapping them up in the prettiest paper I can find, with an ornament tied to each one. My own family isn’t rich-we don’t have second or third homes and we won’t be buying each other cars or trips, but I can afford to buy a few extra clothes for people who really know what it means to go without. They get all of their clothes from thrift stores or donations. They deserve new things sometimes too-much more than some others I know.</p>
<p>I bought 5 blankets for SRs who requested them at the angel tree and 5 rice cookers for other SRs who requested them. Gave $20 to the nice older woman who sells Sunday newspapers in the shopping center, thinking it must be tough having to work hawking Sunday papers as a SR. Gave gift wrapped dish towels to all those who attended our support group meetings in December. At this time of year, I think most of SRs in need.</p>
<p>Have any of you ever participated in or been the recipient of “paying it back” at a Starbucks or similar drive through? It’s happened on several occasions where a person ahead of me paid for x number of cars after him.</p>
<p>A friend of mine has cancer and struggling financially, but lives far from me. I ordered a prime rib dinner with sides and extra meat that all they have to do is heat up and an amazon gift card so she can order presents to be delivered right to her door.</p>
<p>I’m young and only work on breaks so I can only do small things, but I do what I can.</p>
<p>My friend and I went to dinner at a mid priced place and noticed two elderly individuals eating alone, so we each picked up the tab for one of them. </p>
<p>There was a homeless lady with her daughter who was barefoot (it’s winter, snowy and cold) and I lived just in the building upstairs so I ran upstairs and got my extra pair of sneakers to give her (one perk of child sized feet I guess)</p>
<p>Karma been good to me though, an uber driver waived my fee and gave me a free ride last weekend (which may have been due to the fact that it was 1:30am and I was in tears haha)</p>
<p>My BFF’s husband died a few weeks ago. H and I paid for the food for the memorial.
Still, have been wracking my brain for a Holiday gift. This is what I have come up with: door to door service to a nice restaurant sometime in the next 3 months.
I know she is going to be lonely some Saturday night…
And I know she does not expect anything from us. We did invite her for Christmas Day dinner.</p>
<p>Our adult Sunday school class always buys gifts for a family. This year someone suggested a family they know, that is “illegal”. It’s been very controversial, but we’re doing it. </p>
<p>I’m excited because I get to give out gifts at the Salvation Army this morning. I’ve been told that toys are all sorted by age groups/sexes and are laid out on different tables. We take the recipients to various tables and let them pick out two unwrapped toys. Of course I can’t show up empty-handed, so made a trip to Toys R Us this week. I haven’t shopped for toys in years, so even that was fun.</p>
<p>Over the last 10+ years, I’ve given away many computers away to folks who weren’t able to afford one. </p>
<p>To be fair, this also helps me as it helps prevent my bedroom/apartment from becoming too inundated with computers accumulated gratis as part of my work from supervisors/firm, clients with old computers they no longer wanted to bother with, and whatever I salvage from the curbside/CL. </p>
<p>Even so, I’ve received many emails and phone messages expressing thanks. Two standouts are a working-class kid who is now finishing up his undergrad and an elderly man on disability who ended up not needing my offer, but left me a long touching text thanking me anyways.</p>
<p>My therapist maintains a donation box in her office waiting room.
People can drop off items for patients in hospital psych wards who often have very little.
Stuff like socks, sweatpants,robes, shampoo,toothpaste,etc.
I enjoy finding bargains and donating them when I have an appt.
ShopRite runs specials each week that I pick up for a dollar or two. Or I’ll use my free kohls cash to buy stuff.
Since we’re not in a position to make big donations to charity, I love this opportunity.</p>
<p>Years ago my H’s department used to get a family to “adopt” for Christmas. We got a list of individuals, clothing sizes, and hobbies. I noticed that the mother enjoyed cross stitch, and since I figured that everyone would be concentrating on things for the kids, and she would be highly unlikely to spend any spare $$ on such things, I went to a needlework store and got her a really nice kit. As someone who does, or did, needlepoint I know a lot of it is a matter of taste, but I tried to pick something that seemed to have broad appeal, and I <em>hope</em> she liked it! (We also got clothes for them, though.)</p>
<p>I am proud to be paying for D’s Med. School. No asking me for those $10 and $20, we do not do them, we are in huge negative as it is…I was surprized to learn that not many families are footing the Grad. Schools bills which makes me even more proud…just hope we have out jobs tomorrow…</p>
<p>Consolation, I’m fairly certain SR refers to senior citizen.</p>
<p>Our bowling league this year sponsored a needy family instead of participating in our usual White Elephant exchange which was always “As Seen on TV” gifts. A welcome change indeed!</p>
<p>A group of friends bought PJ’s and books for moms and kids in a domestic abuse shelter.</p>
<p>A tornado recently hit our town and I got to spend a week helping prepare thousands of breakfasts and lunches for disaster victims and relief workers. The volunteer response to this disaster has been amazing!</p>
<p>There is nothing more rewarding than looking beyond one’s own situation and finding a way to make a difference in another’s more difficult situation.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP - while I’m sure your daughter is very appreciative of your supporting her, this thread is about what people do during the holiday season to spread a little cheer to people who may not be expecting it, and particularly people we do not even know. And for many of us, it’s something that we do because we are moved in the moment and/or are struck that there are many who are less fortunate than ourselves, for whom an extra gesture during this time of year makes a big difference, if not financially, then emotionally.</p>
<p>I’m not in a very good financial position right now. But I try to amp up the small gestures this time of year. Letting people step ahead of me in the line at the grocery, never passing by a salvation army kettle without dropping in a buck, tipping generously, chatting up lonely local seniors as I stroll thru town, -----easy peasy stuff. It makes me feel better.</p>
<p>MiamiDAP- Do you have even the slightest clue??? Really.</p>
<p>I try to pay it forward in some small way (some days bigger way) every day during Advent. I am part of an online community (not this one) which has members who have needed help and support recently, either due to illness of family members, divorce or other issues. I have tried to ramp up my support- both emotional and financial.</p>