Main image via Matheus Bertelli/Pexels
How do you brighten someone’s life this coming holiday season? If you are being literal about it and have a good sense of humour, then maybe send them a really fancy lighting set. Christmas is a time of giving after all.
Don’t get us wrong, jewellery and maybe a a puppy (if you want to go all out) make for really great gifts. But what if all you need to brighten someone’s life is just to do away with all the lavishness and dim down the celebrations?
Sounds corny, but maybe this Christmas focus on meaningful gifts such as…
Volunteering at a nursing home, orphanage, or soup kitchen. Or just go out there and perform some random acts of kindness.
via GIPHY
Maybe it’s Christmas magic, but the holiday season seems to have a way of amplifying joy and happiness in most people. But magic isn’t always a good thing. For the many lonely and abandoned people out there, holidays are filled with grief and sadness.
For these group of people, the best gift is simply the gift of your time and company.
Save a life by saving a life
Image via Best Friends Animal Society
Depression is a very real condition that can affect anybody. At the same time, we have a growing problem of animals being abandoned and overcrowding in animal shelters. The good news is that you can potentially solve both problems by adopting a pet as a companion for someone who is depressed.
A recent article published by TIME reveals that animal therapy can help calm stress, fear, and anxiety in young children, the elderly, and everyone in between.
Or start small by showing a parent, sibling, partner, friend, or housemate how much you appreciate what they do for you.
Image via Free Homemade Gift Ideas
It doesn’t even have to be a grand spectacle of appreciation. Simple acts like making them breakfast, doing the chores, or driving them to where they need to go can really show how much you appreciate the things they do for you. If you want to add a touch of fun and thought into it, the tried-and-true chores coupons are always a good idea.
How about giving something that will cost you absolutely nothing but can potentially be the difference between life and death?
Image via NPR
The gift we’re referring to here is blood! Though the National Blood Centre has a comfortable supply blood, only about 2.3% of the Malaysian population donates blood according to Dr Noryati Abu Amin, the director of the National Blood Centre, in an article published in January 2017 by The Star Online.
You may not know who you are giving to, you may not even be thanked for it, but know that your contribution could be the difference between life and death.
Or make a difference in the lives of 100 families
Image via Trulli Holiday
If you don’t have the time to volunteer or maybe your health prevents you from donating blood, there’s still a way to brighten lives!
This year, instead of lavish gifts, IPC Shopping Centre in collaboration with Hope Worldwide is aiming to donate RM100,000 worth of gift boxes that will help the lives of families in need. A HUNDRED families in need to be exact.
You can be part of this meaningful change by sending gift boxes, curated by IPC and IKEA, of your own. Visit IPC’s concourse, on Level G, from the 30th of November to the 27th of December. For more info, go to https://www.ipc.com.my/.