Seven ways to spread the holiday cheer

This the season to be jolly, go on a shopping spree, or a food binge for that matter. God knows we’ve all been looking for a good excuse to buy those holiday-scented Voluspa candles or whip out that majestic ham, hot chocolate, queso de bola, and Cunanan ensaymada since our last noche buena-induced food coma.

Tegan and Sara may have come and gone; so has Alicia Keys who sang a bitchin’ If I Ain’t Got You with songbird Regine at her recent concert here in Manila. But amidst government scandals, super typhoons, and so much hopelessness and uncertainty going around, it’s probably best to do you share and spread some good ol’ fashioned holiday cheer as we go full throttle with the Yuletide season.

After all, everyone deserves to be jolly, after everything we’ve been through.

1 Keep helping, even when the need for it starts to fizzle. Whether you admit it or not, social media activism and involvement has made a trend out of helping others during times of calamity. Activism has become some sort of badge of cool. It’s amazing that people can take to action in times of need but the real challenge is helping when talk has subsided and the real work of sustainable charity supposedly begins. Keep those #yolandaPH relief efforts going well into 2014. Charity shouldn’t stop with the next big headline or tragedy.

2 Commit a random act of kindness. It may be that as Millennials, we’ve been so wrapped up in our individualistic lives to even care about those who revel outside of our personal spheres, except during times of calamity where all rules don’t apply. Try extending some of your #inserttyphoonnamehere charity by committing a random act of kindness to a stranger. Even just saying “Good morning” to a passerby can cause a ripple effect of tidings and good will.

3 Visit the elderly at a nursing home. It’s usually the holidays when we are reminded by how single, alone, or abandoned we are at any point in our lives, young or old, single or taken. It must be all the Silent Night and JoMari Chan Christmas tunes playing on the radio. Try offering your time and companionship to old folk who have been abandoned by their families. Trust me, you would want the same thing done to you if you’re way past the Ryan Gosling-Rachel McAdams hottie stage of The Notebook, and pleading geriatric with Alzheimer’s.

4 Be someone’s fairy godmother. Make-A-Wish Foundation has made it its lifelong goal to create hope and happiness for children with life-threatening illnesses around the world. Be your own Vicky Morales in Wish Ko Lang and grant a child’s wish. Remember: volunteering is not just about passively giving money but enhancing that moment in which a wish is granted. For details, visit http://makeawish.org.ph

5 Throw a children’s party at an orphanage. I know it sounds cliché since it seems to be the go-to activity of Millennials who have this unshakable need to give back at a time when there is much to be thankful for in their lives. But it’s not so much about sharing your resources just for the sake of it, but sharing your time when you could have easily been wasting away in a dingy bar or some pretentious club.

6 Organize a charity rummage sale. Semisonic once sang that “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” The holiday season is just as much about the year beginning as the one ending. What better way to start anew and start fresh than to de-clutter you life and hold a rummage sale. This is also a way by which you can raise funds for the charity work you wish to pursue this holiday season.

7 Better your relationships. At the end of the day, Christmas is about remembering what matters most — commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and spending time with your loved ones. Take the time to nurture the relationships you might have taken for granted or relegated to the sidelines. Make it a date with your folks, your estranged friend, or sibling to bond over caroling sessions or Simbang Gabi. You never know when your loved ones will depart. No day but today!