Tis the season for giving

There are many ways to give during the holidays other than buying family and friends gifts that often times they don't want or need and that you can't afford. The holiday season is about giving, not just getting. Why not make a plan this year to give in other ways?

• Volunteer to for a service organization
• Adopt a family to give gifts and food
• Help a neighbor decorate their Christmas tree
• Volunteer to help at a community Thanksgiving dinner
• Donate items to a food pantry
• Donate blood or plasma
• Give a friend a hug
• Visit the elderly
• Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in the drive-through

You know that good feeling you get inside when you perform a good deed?  Research suggests that people who do good for others have reduced stress and anxiety, have a greater sense of overall happiness, and ultimately live longer than people that do not. The good news for everyone is that we can all reap the physical and psychological benefits of kindness even without spending lots of money or time. Tis the season, but why stop there? Practice kindness the whole year through.