- Last updated on September 27, 2024
It’s so easy to get caught up in the chaos of the holiday season. There are Christmas gifts to be bought and wrapped, meals to prep, cookies to make, holiday parties to attend, trees to trim, and generally a whole long to-do list to check off leading up to the big day.
While this is certainly a season of fun Christmas chaos, ’tis also the season for kindness. Keeping with the true spirit of the season, I have listed 12 acts of Christmas kindness you can do this season to make others’ holidays better and brighter. From simply paying someone a compliment to thanking the delivery drivers who act like real-life Santas getting packages to our doors, there are a lot of little ways to make the holidays better for those around you. And, as an added bonus, it will probably make you feel pretty great too.
12 Random Acts of Kindness for the Holiday Season:
On the first day of Christmas…
Pay for the person behind you in line at Starbucks, Dunkin, or your local coffee shop.
On the second day of Christmas…
Donate some non-perishable items to your local food pantry or food bank.
On the third day of Christmas…
Write Christmas letters/cards to military members. This is something I did frequently growing up and I know a lot of schools, churches, etc. will typically organize this sort of thing, but you can also send cards as an individual.
Click here to see how you can take part in the Holiday Cards for Our Military Challenge this year. Since the challenge’s creation, over 1.1 million cards have been sent to active-duty military, veterans, and military families.
On the fourth day of Christmas…
Make a holiday snack and drink basket for UPS and FedEx workers and put it on your front porch so they can take a couple items as a thank you when they deliver your packages this busy holiday season.
If you want to go all out and make an entire snack cart (like those I see over and over on social media), I recommend this cart on Amazon. It’s sturdy and really easy to put together, making it perfect for this project.
On the fifth day of Christmas…
Do something particularly nice for a friend or family member, whether that’s writing them a note, taking them out to dinner, doing the dishes, babysitting so they can catch up on their to-do list, or just giving them a phone call.
When you think of random acts of kindness, I think your mind can automatically go to doing something nice for a stranger. However, don’t forget about being kind to the people who are there for you every day this holiday season.
On the sixth day of Christmas…
Donate toys to a program like Toys For Tots, Santa’s Anonymous, or Santa’s Workshop.
On the seventh day of Christmas…
Stores are busy and lines are long during the holiday season, but let someone behind you go ahead and checkout (especially if they only have a few items).
On the eighth day of Christmas…
Donate a bag of dog or cat food to your local animal shelter. Or check out your local shelter’s list of needed items to make sure you donate what they need most at this time.
However, for some shelters, the thing they need most is your time. Consider volunteering and spending some time with pets who aren’t lucky enough to have a loving home during the holidays.
On the ninth day of Christmas…
Shovel snow for your neighbor, your mom, your friend, or anyone who might like to skip a day of snow removal. (Which is pretty much everyone you know, in case you were wondering.)
If you live in a particularly snowy place like me, taking this unpleasant item off someone’s to-do list is very much appreciated.
On the tenth day of Christmas…
Compliment someone! Tell a stranger you like their outfit. Tell someone you love how amazing you think they are. It’ll make both of you feel good.
On the eleventh day of Christmas…
Make Christmas cards for local nursing home residents.
On the twelfth day of Christmas…
Make a dessert to share. Bring your neighbor these super easy mini peanut butter cookies, make your sister her favorite cake, or bake a new recipe for you and your mom to try out (like this cinnamon swirl coffee cake). It shows you care, and who doesn’t love a sweet treat?
I hope this list inspires you to spread a little extra joy this holiday season!
Whether it’s surprising your friend with homemade cookies or letting someone go ahead of you in the checkout line, even the smallest act of kindness can brighten someone’s day.
If you liked this post, check out a couple of my other holiday posts below:
45 Festive Items You Need on Your Christmas Bucket List
The Ultimate Festive Christmas Watchlist
Pin the image below to come back to this list of random acts of Christmas kindness later.
