Christmas in July 2026 Day 7

[sweetpumkinpye]

CIJ Day 7: Share your ideas for a RAK, charity offerings or gift for a service provider…..

One of the joys around the Christmas season is to thank others who have helped us throughout the year and to provide some assistance for those who aren’t as lucky as we might be. A RAK is such a lovely way of spreading Christmas cheer. It is a gift to both the giver and the recipient.

In the past my family have donated to Christmas giving trees, Women’s shelters and a Coming Home program for women who have been released from a correctional facility. Over the past few years Mum and I have made care packs that we donate to her local church. These contain toothbrush/paste, socks, deodorant, hand wipes, tissues, a comb, shampoo and body wash.

What are your go to gifts for charities or service providers? When do you deliver them?

 

[Minta]

DH's work collects donations for toys for tots so we always picked up a few toys/games for that. Over the years we have donated to the local senior agencies who either fill a stocking or a small basket for lonely seniors in our community and to the local boy scouts who would come around collecting food donations to help those in need.
Every Christmas I do a 3 days baking marathon and hand out cookie tins to family and friends and to give 1 or 2 extra ones away to someone who may need that little extra christmas cheer.

 

[Lori K]

I have a dear, dear friend who struggles with a lot of things. Her DH was her life and when he passed, she literally fell a part. I didn't know her then, but she's been very open about what happened with her widowed friends. She fell into a deep depression and ultimately lost her house to foreclosure. She just wasn't functioning and her kids didn't know how to help her. Once they figured out how bad it had gotten, it was too late. Today she lives in a low-income senior living complex, where she has a small apartment and some limited assistance if she needs it. Any savings she had is gone, and she's living on Social Security and Medicaid benefits. Because she has to watch every penny she has, I'll drop a Christmas card in the mail to her with a gift card enclosed, sending it anonymously from a post office zip code that's unrelated to me (like, if I'm having lunch with former co-workers downtown, I'll mail it from their office building, where it can't be traced back to me), and I'll have someone else (DD, DSIL or another friend who doesn't know her) write a Christmas message for me, so she won't recognize my handwriting. A little gift delivered from one of Santa's elves to help her enjoy the holidays. She can use it for whatever she needs, though I have seen her use gift cards when a group of us meets at a restaurant for book club or after bible study. And, when I can, I get the gift card with my Fetch or other reward points, so it really costs me nothing.

 

[Holiday_Mom]

Lori's act of kindness reminded me of a time that I did something similar. Another family was struggling with finances because the dad lost his job. He was having a hard time finding another job. I sent an anonymous gift card right after Thanksgiving.

Like Minta, I like to buy toys for the Toys for Tots. I try to buy during Black Friday so I can drop off the donation that day.

Our church does a giving tree where you pick a name off the tree with a person's name, age and agency on it. Usually it is a gift card that is requested for an adult. Sometime it is a child's suggested gift item. The gift card gets dropped off in the collection basket with the name attached to it. Last year our church added a Christmas in July Giving Tree to the mix. It was so successful that they are doing it this year too.

 

[teachermomof2]

Great ideas ladies!

 

[GeeWibble]

We fill shoe boxes for samaritan's purse. My grandkids love going to the dollar store and picking the items out to put in them.

 

[Ahorsesoul]

Delivering homemade cookies to people especially at nursing homes would make a nice RAK right now. They get overwhelmed with treats at Christmas but then there is nothing now the rest of the year. Arrange to bring treats to church to celebrate the coming Christmas season. I do RAK tips all year long. One tip at Caribou helped one of the workers get a tank of gas so they were able to get to work all week. The next time I saw them, they made a special point to tell me they were really struggling that week so it just happened at the exact right time. Such a little thing made their whole life change. One of my friends slips money into jacket pockets at thrift stores when she visits. I’d say leave a bill in the next public bathroom but now a-days that might trigger the police intervention. Once in a while I tip the reception desk person at my salon.

 

[Lori K]

I just got back from a quick grocery run to Aldi. Someone had pre-quartered 10 shopping carts, five in each row of carts. While inexpensive and probably not necessary at my Aldi, it certainly made me smile, not having to struggle with my purse to find my quarters and fight to get the connecting piece undone. What a great idea for a Christmas-time act of kindness!

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

Our local library where we have our weekly Knit and Natter sessions has a giving tree that we can donate to. This year I am knitting face cloths and will add a bar of soap and a lip balm, I will write a tag that says that the gift is for a Mum or a Nanna.
One of the very large department stores here recently had a toy clearance and I ended up buying quite a few things for literally dollars. I am hoping to fill a washing basket with donations and take it down when the time is right.

 

[Lana]

We try to change it up every year.

I use to do several goody trays for friends/family but have gotten away from it for the most part.

Have did the shoeboxes, Angel Tree, donated wrapping paper and name tags to BCMW, given to families that people have taken up donations for.

During the year I pay for the person behind me in the drive up line. Try to every 3-4 months.

Last year the grade school took up a donation of toys.

A place at Nashville that sales boats take donation to fill the boat and then they meet how many gifts are collected and then take them all to a hospital in St. Louis for kids. So have given to that.

I have been seeing quarters here the last couple times at Aldis in carts and thought that was nice. I always give my away if somebody is in parking lot.

Lori, that is a good ideal to help your friend like that.

Diedra, I bet that did make their week to get gas.

Will have to start thinking of what or who to give to this year.

I always include Teigan when doing stuff like that so she can get the feeling of giving to those who need alittle more than some.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I always include Teigan when doing stuff like that so she can get the feeling of giving to those who need alittle more than some.

I love this.
When my kids were small we would go through all their toys and clothes and donate them to 'the poor kids'. My children were always very happy to help with this chore. With the giving tree we would pick a child the same age as ours and the kids would pick something to donate.
I think they both now have quite a giving spirit.

 

[luludou]

I give to charity when I can and have done care gifts for homeless.. haven't done in past 2 years... a man almost bawled me out because he said he had no teeth so why give him a toothbrush, toothpaste and hard oatmeal bar?... the others were quite happy but it did get me to rethink. Now I go to town much less at work and the homeless shelter is farther away.

 

[GrammaDeb]

For several years dh and I were on the receiving end of anonymous thoughtful giving from others - a very humbling experience. We barely had enough $$ for gifts for our children, so sharing with others was minimal except for the Salvation Army bell ringers and Boy Scout food drives. Every year I baked and prepared plates of goodies to be delivered to friends and neighbors and made blankets, hats & scarves to donate. I should do more…I love the ideas you have all shared.

 

[MrsSoup]

In the past we have contributed to the Angel Tree. I always have our kids help shop for that. I have also done the cookie trays for friends/family/coworkers. We've donated food and such. I have also "adopted" students at school for Christmas.

I like the idea of putting money into random coat pockets at a thrift store. I always think about buying someone's order behind me in a drive-thru I just haven't done it yet.

 

[Kate1964]

One year when my Mom was still alive, we went thru a drive-thru on Christmas eve. When I drove to the window to pay, the clerk smiled and said the car ahead had paid for our food. I was flabbergasted. I kept it going and paid for the car behind me. Little acts of kindness touch us all.

 

[AnnieClaus]

My niece, sister-in-law, and I always get the names of a family of children through the school where my niece taught.

It is not gifts, it is necessities.
Each child gets: 2 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, a pack of socks, a pack of undies, a pair of shoes.
Sometimes added things such as a coat.

It always breaks my heart a little that it is necessities. Not toys.
It's how this particular program works.

Sometimes the greatest gift you can get is a warm pair of socks and a pair of shoes.