12 Days of Blogmas: Tis the Season to Give Back

'On the sixth day of Blogmas my true love gave to me, a reminder that life isn't always a dream'

Hello everyone.
We are officially halfway through blogmas, which is so COOL. Can you believe that I managed to think of twelve festive posts?
Today I wanted to dwell on the fact that holidays, whichever you may celebrate or enjoy, can be a difficult time for some. There may be people who are lonely, living rough or simply cannot afford to celebrate. It is so saddening to me, that in 2016, there is still a huge need for donations of good will. It's been estimated that in the UK alone, around 25,000 young people will be sleeping rough over Christmas, whilst 1 in 6 people find it to be the loneliest time of the year.
Now, this post isn't encouraging you to donate hundreds of thousands of pounds, but to show that there are some really small, simple ways you can help someone this holiday season.

• Charity Christmas cards- There are so many in shops, from Paperchase to actual Charity Shops on the High Street. The cards support a range of organisations, from the RSPCA, Rainbows Children's Charity, Marie Curie and many others. They are sometimes a few pence or pounds more than regular Charity cards, but for the most part, the entire cost goes to the organisation. An added bonus is that you get to give out really cute Christmas cards, which go to a good cause.
• Christmas Jumper Day- Most schools and workplaces allow you to get into the Christmas spirit by wearing a Christmas Jumper for the day, with you being able to donate as much as you want to Save the Children and their annual appeal. You get to look snazzy and festive and also do a small good deed.
• Volunteer- You might have a very busy schedule, but there is a chance you could give up one day of sleeping in late to do a small shift in a Charity shop. Usually you can pick as many or as little hours as you'd like to do. It gives you work experience and also you get to know a little bit more about the organisation. You also get to communicate with people from your community you may never have spoken to otherwise, which is a really nice feeling.
• Bake- My friend Tori annually bakes some cakes and cookies for the Homeless and gives them out over the Christmas period. I recently acted as her little elf as she went off on this endeavour and it was so lovely to see how this one small act of kindness cheered up some of the people who are sleeping rough in my city. She actually teared up when we came to a full circle and saw one of the people eating the cookies. You don't even need to be the next Mary Berry to do this. You could buy a pack of cupcakes and just hand them out. You could get a flask of tea or soup and some paper cups and offer these out, giving the homeless men and women a chance to warm up and see some kindness.
• Be polite- This costs nothing. Wish an old lady or gentlemen a Merry Christmas if you are serving them in a shop or are sitting next to them on the bus. Wish Big Issue sellers a Happy New Year even if you don't want to buy the magazine.
• Donate to animal shelters- I suppose the only good thing about losing my dog was that it coincided with Christmas. We donated his bed, bags of treats and spare blankets to the RSPCA and they were so appreciative. You can literally buy animal treats, bedding and toys in pound shops, so it is so cost effective to just make a small hamper with your family or friends.

I hope this post has showed how easy, and often inexpensive it is to help anyone less fortunate, from people to animals. May you have a peaceful and merry holiday season.
See you in my next post,
love, Aimee :) xx