what is the most charitable thing you have done for christmas?

I prefer to pick out a specific family in the area that I know is trying hard but not making it. Then we donate toys and food annonymously to that family. I don't like for them to know who we are because I don't want them to feel obligated to us in any way. We also take food to the local homeless shelter all through the year. We could and should do more I guess - but these two things are our primary ways of helping to provide for our community.

Donations - toys for tots and food for the homeless and that sort of stuff...

jb...I answer with trepidation, as I recall your discussion on Christmas trees, and my response is about Christmas trees! For the past 17 years, I have been the "Maintenance" person for a Seniors Home with 16 residents! Most still believe in Christmas ... and the tree! For the past 15 years (once I realized these darling folks had NO way to attain a tree) I seeked and received permission from B.C.Hydro to cut small trees under the Hydro lines (must be kept cleared)...so I spend an afternoon, saw in hand...good hiking boots on, collecting trees and spare boughs for them. This doesn;t qualify as charitable...but it is a manner of giving that warms my heart, and completes their Christmas! Today is to be quite sunny...and guess where I am off to? Cheers!

hi jb I live in a retirement center for now and I have a very limited budget so cannot give money for charity, but I am kind to the other residents who are worse off physically than I am, I have sort of become a helper to this one lady who has very bad rheumatism in her hands and I help her into a special chair she can get into and out of more easily. We became close friends and I feel good that I can do things for her that help her a bit. I spent most of my adult life working as a care giver and this comes naturally to me to help someone else if I can.I have a bad shoulder and a bad foot so I know what its like to hurt and not to be able to do some things.

I honestly couldn't tell you. There's usually so much that I do every year. We donate money to the homeless shelter, the Salvation Army (even though I don't agree with their beliefs I think they do a good thing LOL). My youngest son had on my letter to Santa this year toys for the needy so we are doing the Toys for Tots thing.