4 Ways to Be a Creative Giver

Photo by BK of Flickr.com

        We have all been taught in life by parents or other mentors that giving is better than receiving.  I have found this to be true in life.  I love to give, and I receive so much satisfaction in return.  Not to mention that giving into someone else’s life can cause things to happen in return.  I am thinking back to a time when a waitress was complaining of foot pain, and I had just a little bit of extra cash.  I decided to give her a tip that would enable her to have a comfortable shoe purchase.  Not long afterward, I was at Wal-Mart and had miscalculated what I had left on my card.  A gentleman behind me insisted on paying for my groceries.  I was blessed more than I had given in the first place.  In this blog, I will give some ideas for being a creative giver.

Photo by Cláudia*~Assad

1.      Celebrate birthdays.  I worked in a place that was brand new.  I helped build the inside of the store and made fixtures.  I was there on the first day that the store opened for business.  We had a great team.  At this store, someone put up a birthday chart and everyone’s birthdays were written on it by management.  We started doing something small for each person’s birthday.  I remember the first time that I was remembered.   I walked in to work and received flowers and dessert.  I was so happy to be remembered when I was having a bad day and was having to work on my birthday.  The birthdays have become more special than at first. 

I have moved on with my career, but I took the birthday thing along with me. I started the tradition at my next job.  When I grew out of that job, people thought I was the most wonderful person.  I also do this in my daily life.  It doesn’t have to be much, but when you hear of someone having a birthday, popping in with a little gift and a cupcake brings smiles.  Facebook has made it easy to keep up with my friends’ birthdays. I feel blessed every time that I bring joy into someone’s life.  This is part of giving.  You become a re-energized person and create positive relationships when you give.

Photo by Cloned Milkmen

2.      Make creative gift ideas for holidays.  I told about my new hobby in the last blog.  I love making homemade soap and other homemade items for holidays.  This Christmas, I am planning a big project.  I am going to make the cute soaps and package them nicely.  I found bags for about 20 cents each, and I am going to put the soap and possibly the pure laundry detergent in each bag to give to different people.  I have seen many women make candies and cookies and give them as gifts to different families.  These ideas put excitement into holidays and can be fun family projects.  People love receiving these things.  Even if they don’t like the gift, they appreciate the gesture.  New things can make every holiday special and can even become traditions.

Photo by Brian at Flickr.com

     3.      Find someone to bless for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Holidays can be sad times for many people and greedy times for others.  I want my children to learn to give into other people’s lives more than being greedy.  There are many giving and volunteering opportunities on holidays.  Take the challenge to do something outside of yourself.  Someone can pick an ornament from a giving tree, collect food for a food drive, and donate toys to children who may not receive presents.  This can be a chance to allow creativity into your life.  You will find that the more that you do for people, the more you want to do next time.  Many charitable organizations have been formed this way.  I have even been on the receiving end.  I was at a place to receive help for problems that I was experiencing and so many organizations and individuals gave into our lives at that house during Christmas.  We cried, laughed, and some of the girls had never even had a nice Christmas before.  It touched our lives.  It is appreciated.  Giving makes such a happy heart for both parties involved.

Photo by Jim Larrison at Flickr.com

     4.      Cook a meal for someone.  I recently stayed at a Ronald McDonald House while my son was having surgery and recovering in another city.  I was surprised because there were college fraternities, sororities, church groups, and other organizations who cooked for the families every evening.  This is such a blessing.  Hospitals are not fun and dealing with these hard times, and it was so nice to be able to eat a home-cooked meal when retiring for the night.  I decided that this is something that I would like to do one day.  It makes you feel like a part of something good for other human beings.  It is also fun. 

     Doing something good for others is a wonderful thing and opens up so many parts of hearts, it helps us to be a part of something, and creates connections.  It may also change the whole course of a person’s life.  I hope that I will always have a giving heart.  I challenge you to try one or some of these things to see how good it feels.  Giving birthday gifts, holiday surprises, blessing someone on a holiday, and cooking for others can be creative and fun and cause a great feeling of energy and joy.

Image Credits:
BK at https://www.flickr.com/photos/pictoquotes/13099748913/
Cláudia*~Assad at https://www.flickr.com/photos/cauzinha/548387955/,
Cloned Milkmen at https://www.flickr.com/photos/clonedmilkmen/2141842206/,
Brian at https://www.flickr.com/photos/lincolnian/324963077/,
Jim Larrison at  https://www.flickr.com/photos/larrison/