For this Week Four of the Eight Weeks of Christmas series, I wanted to continue the theme that you don’t necessarily need to spend money to make the most of the time of year. Think about becoming a volunteer.
Just like most of us, many families live on a budget. But one thing that we all have to offer is our time. With our lives full of chores, work, family, school, sports and the numerous other day-to-day tasks, we tend to fill in our spare time with people and things that are most important to us. So for me to suggest adding even one more task in your daily/weekly or monthly routine might just get me on the naughty list.
But … for a moment, before you buy me a lump of coal think about offering your time. There are many families in need, no matter what the circumstance. They maybe struggling with hurdles beyond their control, maybe an illness has crippled the family financially or the loss of a family member has them emotionally struggling to find hope. Maybe they do not know how they will be able to feed their family. Whatever the cause or the reason, every one will need some sort of help sometime in their lifetime.
For this Week Four, consider giving the gift of time, your time. Whether just one hour, or an hour a week, your time is priceless and might just make a huge difference in someone’s life.
To find areas of volunteer need in your community, United Way offers search features based on area, need and type of services needed.
My son and I decided to pay it back to our community volunteering for our local Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. I was pleasantly surprised to witness children have many positive qualities and big hearts that we parents sometime over look. Volunteering as a family, we are able to share in the gratification together spending time twice a month assisting with household chores that help the Ronald McDonald House maintain a clean, friendly and welcoming environment for families of ill children. It is not a glamorous job, but I guarantee the rewards we reap are multiplied what we give.
So, this Christmas season, take a moment, think about what is important to you, and challenge yourself and your family/friends to join in this effort. Volunteer and pay it forward. Offer your talent as a in volunteer spending your time giving to others.
The Eight Weeks of Christmas is not about spending a lot of money nor creating more stress for you or your family. Rather this is about enjoying each week leading up to Christmas, spending time together with people you care about and making memories for a lifetime.
