7 Ways You Can Be KIND Around The Holidays (and Year-Round)

Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and KIND for this promotion. I was compensated for the creation and sharing of this post. All opinions are my own.

The holidays have a certain way of bringing out the kindness in people (unless of course you’re looking for a parking space at the mall.) Those kind acts seem to stay on people’s minds all throughout the season. It seems almost second nature to make a donation to the local food pantry or volunteer at a community program during the months of November and December. What happens the rest of the year is important too. People need help then too right?

1. Volunteer at that local soup kitchen around the holidays and do it again afterward. Make it a regular thing so you and your family can be helping those in need on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.
2. Raise money for a non-profit who’s mission resonates with you. This can be done by anyone regardless of physical or technical abilities. It can also be done by anyone at any age. Don’t like asking people for money face to face? Start an online fundraising page for your favorite non-profit and share it with your friends and family.
3. Clean out those storage boxes and donate to charity. You might be surprised how useful your old book collection or winter coat might be to someone who doesn’t have one. It’ll give you more space and someone else a warmer winter season.
4. Smile. Being kind doesn’t have to cost you anything. Make eye contact with people and smile at them. You can even make a game out of it and see how many people you can get to smile back at you.
5. Invest your time on a local neighborhood project. Find out if your area has a public garden, community center or local soccer club looking for participants.
6. Set up a monthly meetup or public get together to better get to know the people near you who love the same things you do.
7. Bring a KIND bar with you the next time you go shopping to give to your sales person or cashier. Working retail is tough and customer service is energy draining. They’ll likely be happy to have the unexpected pick me up.

KIND has been on a mission since day one to inspire and celebrate kindness. It’s a program that parents can participate in and teach their children the importance of kindness at a young age. One of the ways KIND has helped spread kindness is through their #kindawesome cards, a physical card you can give to someone when you spot them doing a kind act.

Whereas the original version of the cards was only available to the KIND team, there is a new version that will empower anyone in the KIND community to actively celebrate the kindness around them. This program not only helps me understand how important it is to recognize the acts of kindness happening around me every day, but also encouraging my son to do so as well.

It’s awesome to be kind, and it seems the world needs a bit more kindness these days. I’ve got 25 KIND snack packs to give out so… Tell me about someone in your life who is kind and who could use a smile. What is it that they do that is so #kindawesome?

To learn more about how they’re spreading kindness and how you can too, go to howkindofyou.com and check out @kindsnacks #kindawesome on social media.