small acts of unconditional kindness

The holiday season is a good time to practice love, kindness and be of service to others. We all think of doing grand gestures of love and kindness to others, but due to time, money, and sometimes geographical constraints, we let go of those ideas and distance ourselves from making a positive difference in other lives.

It’s great to listen to magnificent stories of generosity and altruism to lift our spirits during the holiday season, although we don’t have to feel obliged to make a service or contribution of that scale. Sometimes, it’s not needed and also not possible considering our circumstances. 

You don’t need to invite all the people in our building over for the holiday party, give a hundred dollar bill to a homeless person, or buy Christmas gifts for a poverty-stricken family. But instead, you can perform certain small acts of unconditional kindness to make the holidays better for you as well as other people. These minuscule acts not only help you get in the holiday spirit but also lighten up the lives of everyone around you. 

Here are some ideas for random and small acts of kindness during the holidays:

• Smile at a stranger and compliment them.
• Buy a small gift for someone.
• Pick three people that you see regularly, and take a few moments to appreciate them.
• Schedule a coffee or lunch date with a friend or loved one, and take care of the bill.
• Help an elderly neighbor bring in their groceries from the car.
• Donate books and other stuff you no longer need to Goodwill or other donation centers.
• Shovel snow for a neighbor before they wake up (even if you find them annoying!).
• Bake cookies for others, and for extra credit, give them to someone who has to work during Christmas time such as delivery drivers.
• Volunteer to read holiday stories at your local library, children’s hospital or nursing home.
• Send a warm holiday message to someone you admire.
• Pick up trash in your local park.
• Offer to take someone’s shopping cart back inside the store or to the cart drop-off.
• Buy lunch for a homeless person.
• Volunteer to help a busy friend or a family member wrap their Christmas gifts.
• Donate some food to your local food bank.

Remember, a little goes a long way, and these atomic acts of unconditional kindness during the holidays can truly make a world of a difference in other people’s lives. 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas Eve!