This is a guest contribution by Theo Ananiadis. While we’re all busily stocking our “It’s In The Bag” Christmas appeal, we thought we’d put together some “random acts of kindness” ideas to help make the silly season better for everyone around us. It’s the busiest time of the year – here’s 116 simple things you can do to make the world a better place this Christmas or any day!
- Invite an elderly or lonely neighbour for Christmas lunch
- Wrap an extra gift and pop it into the nearest homeless shelter
- Buy an extra bag of Christmas treats and take it to a local shelter
- Send a card to a friend you’ve not spoken to in forever
- Bake extra Christmas treats and give them to a struggling mum in your community
- Show kids the spirit of giving by packing up some toys to donate
- Let your child lead the way in buying a gift for a less fortunate kid
- Talk to your child about giving a donation in lieu of receiving a gift
- Donate a micro-loan to a woman in another country to help her get on her feet
- Take a hamper of chocolates and toys to your local children’s hospital
- Offer to babysit for a struggling friend (’tis the season to be stressed out after all)
- Sign up to volunteer in the new year
- Take the kids (or your dog) to visit a local nursing home. Take cupcakes
- Donate blood in readiness for the “silly season” shortages
- Apologise to someone
- Tell someone why you respect them
- Donate you old glasses, mobile phone or electronics to appropriate charities
- Finally get around to calling your sister/besty/elderly aunt to have a chat
- Compliment a stranger
- Organise a charity “whip around” at work or school
- Choose a rescue animal if you’re considering a “Christmas puppy or kitten”
- Tell a workmate what you admire about them
- Give a stranger your seat
- Make a gift celebrating your child’s qualities
- Reply to an email with a compliment
- Leave a children’s book in a public place with a “take me I’m free” note
- Do something special for someone who cares for others
- Take the check out girls at your local shop a box of chocolates
- Do something special for a “middle child” in your neighbourhood
- Organise a treasure hunt or craft project for local kids
- Sign up to Give As You Earn in the new year
- Take your posty a cool drink – it’s a hard time of year for him!
- Send a box of chocolates or a gourmet hamper to a nurse’s station in an emergency room
- Take your local fire fighters some beers for after work
- Who is your most selfless friend? Do something amazing for her
- Pay for a stranger’s lunch order
- Leave a decent tip for a great waiter
- Buy fresh fruit and breads and leave them for a homeless person
- Write and post a letter. Admit, it’s been years!
- Take a beautiful photo of a friend’s kids and frame it for her
- Register as an organ donor
- Take an extra umbrella and give it to someone who needs it
- Buy an extra cake for the girl making your coffee
- Listen, without interrupting, to someone’s story or problem. Let them talk. They’ll feel better
- When you’re stressed out, take a nap or a bath. Your calmness will benefit people around you
- Say yes to something you’d usually say no to
- Try something new with your child or partner
- Take your dad out for lunch, just you and him
- Buy a bottle of wine for the impoverished university student in your life
- Have the kids make something special for their friends
- Perform a random act of kindness for a complete stranger
- Buy cold canned drinks for the teens at the local skate park
- Take a photo that will remind a friend of good times, and email it
- Put flowers on a neglected grave
- Spend one on one time with each of your kids
- Leave a note admiring a stranger’s garden
- Offer to take a family photo on a stranger’s phone
- Plant a tree or edible plant with your kids
- Leave a nice note on a windshield in a busy Christmas car park
- Buy a fundraising item as part of your Christmas shopping
- Donate to a random “Go Fund Me”, Kickstarter or charity website
- Buy your partner a bottle of wine or other treat when you’re at the shops
- Do a load of dishes or some laundry while your mum is out. She did yours!
- Offer an old lady a lift on a hot day
- Donate some movie tickets to a group home
- Offer to walk a busy neighbour’s dog
- Pay for the car behind you at the drive through
- Ask your neighbours if they need anything before you run to the shops
- Buy milk and bread for a neighbour with kids
- Do a “chore” that is usually allocated to your partner
- Knock on a friend’s door with a fresh brewed coffee for her
- Offer kind words to a woman with a screaming child
- Take doughnuts to work
- Donate a bag of “seniors” kibble to the local animal shelter
- Offer a driving lesson to a learner driver
- Take gourmet treats for the other parents waiting for their kids to do sports
- Pay for a term of sports for a kid living in a shelter or foster home
- Buy entry tickets to the local pool and give them to a local shelter or foster home
- Leave sealed soaps and toiletries in an urban public toilet
- Donate your old towels to your local animal shelter
- Sing Christmas carols in the car with the kids
- Stream a kids movie from your childhood and watch it with your children
- Buy an audio book subscription for an old person in your life
- Order a papal blessing for a giving member of your parish
- Pay for ten frozen meals to be sent to someone with no time to cook
- Read your child a classic children’s book
- Make your Christmas decorations by hand with your children
- Invite a lonely child from school over for a play
- Pay for an extra chicken at the butchers to give to a struggling customer
- Drop a $5 note in an elderly person’s shopping basket.
- Mow a neighbour’s nature strip for them
- Seen a bargain at the shops? Get an extra for a neighbour
- Share charity messages with your friends on social media
- Take fresh fruit to work and leave a “Take Me” note on it
- Offer to take someone to the airport
- Pay for someone’s petrol
- Give money to a busker
- Put money in expired parking meters
- Leave out water and seed for birds
- Take out and bring in your neighbour’s bins
- Give positive feedback about a customer service assistant
- Leave a glowing Google review for a local business that you love
- Stop and chat to a homeless person or lonely neighbour
- Offer to prune a neighbour’s trees
- Offer available “bin space” to neighbours
- Buy a Christmas present from a friend’s business or a local store
- Start a “loose change” jar to donate to charity
- Put yourself in the shoes of the person being a jerk at this stressful time of year
- Leave your change in the vending machine
- Leave an “I love you” note on your partner’s steering wheel
- Buy a car wash voucher for the young driver in your life
- Gift a book that will resonate to someone having a hard time
- Pick up litter in a public park or nature strip
- Grow seedlings of edible plants or flowers and give them to neighbours
- Learn one interesting thing about the “quiet person” in every situation
- Sign any petition that you support here and help community groups get their point heard
Can you add to our Random Acts of Kindness list?
We believe that a small gesture can have a big impact on someone’s life. We want to make the biggest list of random acts of kindness in Australia. Can you make some suggestions or share some ideas? Help us make the world a better place, one kindness at a time! If you really want to be kind, you can always donate to our charity! Just sayin’!