What would the world look like if we put love in action beyond the holidays? These 12 Creative Ways To Show Love will do just that! I’m sharing creative ways of loving others that you can do each month of the year!
November kicks off the season for thanks and giving to others. Gratitude posts abound and lists of thankfulness flood the internet as we begin to prepare for our Thanksgiving festivities with family and friends.
Creative Ways To Show Love
This time of year we find ourselves actively looking for ways to help others and to put our love in action as we’re commanded to do so in scripture. From Giving Tuesday to shopping for Angel Tree Gifts and Operation Christmas Child, we all are on an intentional pursuit to share and give to others. With that thought in mind, how can we show love to others the other remaining 10 months of the year? You’ll love these creative ways to show love throughout the year!
Giving Tuesday is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, and is a day to encourage people to give back. It was created in 2012 and has since grown to be a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give.
The parameters are simple: give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. In a nutshell, Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement. But you know what? God started this long before global companies decided to begin these endeavors. Let’s kick start a pursuit of love and generosity beyond this holiday season based on the unceasing love we receive from our Heavenly Father and the fact that He sent His only Son to die for each of us!
There is no greater love!
How do you show love with actions?
So, how can we show God’s love to others throughout the year? These creative ideas to show love are tangible ways to express love to others throughout the year not by being recognized within the world by because of the great love we have received ourselves from God.
What if it were more than a day of giving and more than a month of being thankful? What if this season became a lifestyle that didn’t end once the holidays were over?
These examples of love in action are not meant to be “must-do’s” or just another thing to have to add to your already long to-do list. They’re just ideas to help encourage this season of giving to last a little longer after the holidays and hopefully turn into a lifestyle of love or being “other’s minded” as much as we are the last two months of the year.
12 Creative Ways to Show Love Beyond The Holidays
Creative Ways to Show Love: Kick off the New Year Giving!
Kick off the New Year Giving! January is a brand new year with new goals. We aspire to get in shape, eat right, budget better, and save money. What if January was kicked off with giving? With a goal of spreading joy? What if January set the tone for generosity this year?
Giving doesn’t always have to be expensive or monetary. We can give and save money at the same time!
Free Creative Ways to Show Love:
- Encourage others
- Offer support to a friend
- Give advice
- Share God’s love
- Smile
- Give a hug
- Affirm someone
- Give your time
- Share your gifts and talents
Use this month to be mindful of ways we can actively serve others. Grab your calendar and plan out ideas and people you can serve each month throughout the year. It will do your heart good and will be a blessing to others!
Invite friends to join you. Brainstorm ideas that are creative and fun and let that be a goal for the year.
Creative Ways to Show Love: Make a Blessing Bag.
We all know actions speak louder than words. Make a blessing bag!
The homeless that were considered more during the holidays still need consideration in February. This is the perfect time to keep giving beyond the holidays by making a blessing bag!
Blessing bags are a simple way to be a blessing to those you come across who may be in need.
It is a small assortment of basic toiletries, water bottle, and snacks in a ziplock bag. They can be kept on hand in your car to be passed out or collected for your church to be given to those in need.
It’s a great way to include your children in giving as well. They can be involved in creating the blessing bags and rounding up items.
Creative Ways to Show Love Blessing bag ideas:
- Toothbrush
- toothpaste
- comb
- small shampoo
- deodorant
- soap
- tissues
- granola bars
- chap stick
- pair of socks
- hand wipes
- pack of gum.
Assemble all the items in gallon-size ziplock bags, and include a note of encouragement with the contents and your Blessing Bag is ready to go!
Creative Ways to Show Love: Give Encouragement
Time to go old-school! You know that old timey word we don’t say anymore, “stationary”? It’s time to bring back the past and reintroduce our world to letter writing!
Use this month to give to others by writing an encouraging note or letter to someone. There’s just something special about receiving a hand-written card in the mail.
I did the math and here’s the cost to benefit analysis.
Cost:
- $.55 stamp
- Your time.
- Paper.
- Ink.
- Envelope.
Benefit: PRICELESS.
Hands down, this is a brilliant way to keep giving beyond the holidays.
Consider a friend or family member that you could brighten their day by writing a letter to. If you can’t think of anyone, write a note to your child’s teacher or to a teacher that you know! Teachers always need encouragement. Or, encourage someone in the service or medical industry, or your pastor, or ministry leader.
I’ve created Free Encouragement Notecards that you can download. All you need to do is print, write, and pass them on to someone that needs encouragement!
Write the letter. It’ll mean a lot to you and it will mean a lot to whomever receives it! We can practice giving with our words.
Related Post: Easy Ways to Encourage Others
Creative Ways to Show Love: Give to your local food pantry.
Put your love in action and give to your local food pantry. “Giving is extremely strong during the holidays and can decline during spring and summer, the time when we most need the support,” said Kay Carter, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The hard fact is, people are hungry all year around. While we tend to flood the food banks during the holiday seasons, it’s important to remember we can keep giving throughout the year. More than that, it’s certainly needed.
Tips for giving to your local food bank:
- Ask what they need the most.
- Volunteer if you have a little time to spare.
- BOGO is short for Buy One Get One. What if our thought was Buy One GIVE one?
Children love to get involved collecting food for others and this is a great way to put love in action.
Creative Ways to Show Love: Create a Birthday Box
This is the perfect time to create a Birthday Box (or two!) for your local food pantry! I had never heard of this idea before until this past year when the ladies in a church organized a Birthday Box service project. It is brilliant!
A birthday box is a collection of items to celebrate a birthday including: a box of cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, candles, small cake plates, and napkins. Each of these items fit perfectly in a clear, plastic shoebox.
The shoebox (or boxes) can be delivered to your local food pantry fit and ready for a party.
Cake mixes are not often delivered to food pantries because they’re considered “extras” and not a neccessity.
A Birthday Box is an extra dose of special for those in need. It’s a sweet way to keep giving throughout the year and show others they are meant to be celebrated.
May your Birthday Box give love and hope to others!
Creative Ways to Show Love: Pack lunches for local school children
School is out of session and summer has arrived! Many look forward to summer break but a lot of children lose a meal (or two) because of it. Many kids who rely on school meals struggle to get enough to eat during the summer months.
June is a great time to keep giving throughout the year by packing lunches to be distributed to local school children in need.
Check out your local school system and community groups that run summer meal sites for volunteer opportunities.
Summertime is also when Lemonade Stands come out and Carwash Fundraising takes place. If you host either in your neighborhood, a portion of the funds could go to school lunches in August. Every single dollar makes a difference.
Creative Ways to Show Love: Christmas in July
Christmas in July. Tis the season to be jolly! This is an unofficial holiday but a great excuse for a midsummer celebration nonetheless. It’s also the perfect time of year to collect items for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international relief organization. They provide shoeboxes to people around the world that are affected by war, poverty, natural disaster, famine, and disease. Shoeboxes are filled with small toys, school supplies, toys, and hygiene items.
Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are collected during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season making this time of year, a wonderful time to get a headstart OR to challenge you to make an extra box (one in July and one in November).
What if the next time you’re at the dollar store picking up pool noodles, you collected a few items for making a shoebox? Children love participating in this way of giving. Our kids love to each shop for a boy or girl their age.
For more information, go to: Operation Christmas Child.
Creative Ways to Show Love: Back to School Drive
Back to School Drive. Join in and toss an extra pack or two of crayons or pack of paper in the mix. I get it. The list of school supplies that are handed out to our kiddos over the summer is LONG and a smidge overwhelming for this mama. It takes an extra large cup of coffee to go through everything needed.
But here’s the thing. While I’m scrambling trying to find the right back of Ticonderoga pencils, there’s another mom scrambling to work 3 jobs and get food on the table. If we have the means to be a blessing by getting another pack of pencils, get the pencils. It truly helps others out.
Many times, it comes out of the teacher’s pockets. Contributing to school supplies for others or picking up a backpack on sale for a child in need is a special way to keep giving beyond the holidays.
Creative Ways to Show Love: Adopt an Adoptive Family
Adopt an adoptive family. Consider a family you know that has adopted or is a foster care family. Lock arms with them and show them they’re supported.
Encourage your friends who have adopted or provide foster care to be honest with what they need…and then get creative about how you can help!
How to show love?
Creative Ways to Show Love Ideas:
- Provide a meal for them.
- Pick up extra school supplies to help out.
- Offer a night of babysitting.
- See if you can help fold laundry one day.
- Be there to listen if they just need an ear to speak without judgment.
- Drop off a coffee and tell them you’re praying for them.
- Pray for them! Take the month to pray specifically for these families. Ask what you can be praying for.
- Stock the freezer.
- Drop off diapers.
- Offer to run errands.
National Adoption month is in November and is a month set aside to raise awareness about the urgent need for adoptive families for children and youth in foster care. Surprise these families by recognizing them more than in November.
Creative Ways to Show Love: Give to those that serve our country and communities
Give to your local first responders – firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical service (EMS) and those that serve our country in the military. They help keep our communities safe in a multitude of ways. Let’s give back!
One way to give back is by showing our appreciation by writing a card or note thanking them for their service. Or, if you’re out having lunch, take care of their lunch too.
For safety and health reasons, some stations forbid homemade baked goods. Call and ask what would be helpful to drop off as a “thank you” gesture. Hello Krispy Kreme donuts! Nice to meet you.
Other ideas include: delivering a case of water, packaged granola bars, bananas and bags of apples.
If you know someone in the military, invite some friends to go in together on making a care package. It’s a delight for those serving our country to receive and a special way for us to give back in return.
Related Post: 10 Free Ways To Give To Others
Creative Ways to Show Love: Consider widows, single parents, and single individuals.
Give joy and encouragement to a widow, single parent, or single individual. The holidays are especially difficult for those that have lost someone close to them or are going through the seasons alone. Consider these individuals and how you can shine light into their world.
Deliver a meal “just because”. Or, if you have the means to give a giftcard to help with Christmas gifts, do so.
Ask them if there is anything specific they need help with. Mow their lawn, take out their trash cans to the curb, or watch their kids so they can go Christmas shopping. Invite them over for a meal. Bake them a cake.
Creative Ways to Show Love
November is covered. That month has prime focus for thanks and giving. Let’s use it as a springboard to carry us into a brand new year of giving.
Let’s keep giving throughout the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are seasons rich with thanks, giving, joy, and hope. How different would the world look if we made this time of year a lifestyle and continued giving throughout the year?
I hope these examples of loving actions gives you ideas to love throughout the year! What are your favorite ways to show love to others throughout the year?
I’ve created a FREE Love In Action Calendar with these ideas for each month that you can use! You can access it by clicking on the image below.
Love in Action:
Put your love IN action. Consider one item to practice giving in the year to come.
Want to remember this? Post Ideas to Put Love in Action to your favorite Pinterest board!
