“Your good deeds might seem invisible, but they leave a trail that is imprinted on the hearts of others.”

Besides being the month of all kinds of festivities and celebrations, December is also considered to be the month of selfless good deeds. It’s the time of the year, when everyone starts thinking about others as well, whether it’d be their friends/acquaintances or strangers.

In an ideal world, there shouldn’t be only one month for that. People should think about others all year round. But sadly that’s not how it works in this world. I mean people do think of others, but it’s more of a “what to do to impress others“, or “what to do not to be judged by others“, rather than “what can I do to help someone else as well“.

I’ve mentioned this before that it is a good thing to be egoistic in this life. I still think the same, but there should be a healthy limit to that. You can be egoistic, when it comes to your life decisions, your happiness and peace. If you don’t want to do sth, you shouldn’t be doing it just to please others. If people want you to be their ideal friend, relative and do certain actions, you shouldn’t tear yourself apart just to meet their expectations. In such cases, you should and must think about yourself first, and there’s nothing bad with a little bit of egoism.

But lots of people cross that limit, and they only care about themselves, completely ignoring everyone else. They only want to get things for themselves, want to receive, without giving anything back. People don’t understand that this world is built with the giving-receiving balance. So you can’t expect to receive good things, without doing something in return. But I don’t think it is also correct, to give or do sth nice solely for that purpose. That wouldn’t be considered a good deed after all.

As I said before, the good deeds shouldn’t be just seasonal, we should try and help others as often as we can. Especially if we have that opportunity, which in most cases I think we do. I guess December and the holidays make people’s souls awake from the materialistic rush, and just look around. Or maybe some want to compensate their lack of attention towards others at the end of the year.

Well, I don’t care what’s the reason behind that, but I’m glad that at least once a year, people think about others as well. Because Christmas is a very special time. Not special for its decorations, parties and gifts, but because it makes you believe. Believe in good, in happiness, in magic, just like children do. Because we all are kids in our hearts after all. Maybe our dreams or fantasies change over the time. And instead of dreaming of meeting the real Santa, we dream about other things, like finding our life purpose, getting a job, finding a significant other, having a better life, or just feeling happy without any reason. And December feels like the perfect time for those dreams. Because with all the festivities, decors, magical films, we kind of loose touch with the cold and sometimes pessimistic reality, and want to believe that everything is possible in Christmas.

Doing good deeds for others, strengthens their beliefs and their positive mindset. You never know what people are going through. You never know how your one simple good action can save their lives, both literally and figuratively. We never know what’s going inside people’s minds or hearts. But it doesn’t mean we can’t do something meaningful for them.

And it’s not only about the money. There are many other ways that you can have a positive influence on someone’s life and make their day a little better. Here are some things you can do pretty much all year now, but especially for Christmas, because everything feels more heart and soul-warming in this time of the year.

1. Donations. As I said, money is also good, but there’s so much you can donate. Clothes, toys, books, technologies, even food… Sometimes people don’t trust different foundations or charities that raise money, so donating goods instead is the best decision. You can give away both your old stuff, or buy something new.

2. Stray animals. In winter months animals need much more energy in order not to get cold. So it’s always important to be more considerate about them in colder seasons. Buy some food and feed stray cats and dogs. And don’t forget about our smaller friends-birds. You can make little nesting boxes, or just leave some crumbs and birdseeds around your windows, balcony or anywhere else. You can also buy some food for animal shelters, because most of them are non-profit and an extra help would always be beneficial for them.

3. Santa Claus. In December, there are many Santa Claus programs, where you can buy gifts for children from orphanages or impoverished families and become their Santa Claus. It is especially important, because every child deserves to have some magic, presents and belief. Children are out future, and if we want our future to be good, we must pay more attention to the present of those same children.

4. Helping Others. Your friends, neighbors, acquaintances or even strangers. You see someone with heavy bags, offer them some help. You see someone not reaching the top shelf in a supermarket, help them. It’s that easy. Such simple things can really affect on people’s mood for the rest of the day. And they’ll also want to do sth good for others, and that will create a chain reaction of kind actions.

5. Small gifts. You can buy some little gifts, like Christmas chocolate, small ornaments, some flowers etc, and just give it to people. To your neighbors’s kids, or stranger kids, to people passing by. It may seem a little odd at first, but is a really nice gesture. You can also bake some cupcakes or cookies and hand it out. This can work really well in a small neighborhood or a building, a great way to properly get acquainted with all your neighbors.

6. Kind words. Last but not least, be kind. Smile to people (not in a creepy way though), tell them compliments, even if they’re strangers. When you go to shops, cafes or use cabs, always remember to be nice to waiters, service stuff, drivers. Even if they are rude. You don’t know what kind of a hard day they’re having. But your positive attitude may help them get in a better mood. Also don’t forget to tip them. Some people don’t give tips at all, even though they do have money. It can be a small and insignificant sum for you, but for others it can be important. So just remember to be nice.

Now imagine, if people did this all year round. I think this could have changed our world in the nick of time. It’s never too late to start that change. The best thing is, we all can do this ourselves, without a huge effort. Yes, some things from this list require money, and people like to justify themselves saying that they have no money to just give away. I agree, there are many people, who can’t afford to do things like this. But in most cases, people just don’t want to buy something less for them, for their stomach or wardrobe, and do something more important with that same money. Plus, you can always find a unique way of helping others, without spending anything. Kind actions, words and a smile are always free. Remember that. Be kind, do kind!