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Step 1
Read your community newspaper. Many local newspapers include opportunities for giving to others or a worthwhile charity to donate to.
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Step 2
Check with your community child welfare office about needs for children. Many children live in foster care and shelters without gifts and away from family. Sometimes area malls or stores coordinate "Angel Trees" with these agencies, allowing people in the community to purchase needed and wanted items.
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Step 3
Explore opportunities for charity through your post office when you're mailing those packages. One Manhattan post office, for example, matches children who write "Dear Santa" letters to donors each year.
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Step 4
Look around your neighborhood. If you know that times are tough for a specific family, think about playing Secret Santa by leaving an anonymous basket of goodies at their front door. Or invite someone whom you know is alone to Christmas dinner.
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Step 5
Donate money every time you pass a Salvation Army kettle or give a little extra at church. A little charity on a regular basis adds up.
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Step 6
Volunteer your time at a community Christmas dinner. All it takes is a couple of hours of your time, and you'll appreciate the holiday all the more by giving something back to it.
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Step 7
Visit a shelter on Christmas morning with goodies for children and adults. Call a couple of days ahead of time to speak with the shelter manager. Find out how many he or she anticipates having in the shelter, and buy extra just in case.
