+
More

7 wonderful reasons to give to strangers this holiday season.

True
Hershey's

The holidays are here in full force, so you're likely making your gift list and checking it twice. But is anyone on that list someone you don't know?

It might sound like a hare-brained idea ("I already have so many people to give to!" I can hear you saying), and I get it. But it doesn't take much to make someone's season brighter, especially if they're in need. Sometimes a simple scarf, a bag of Hershey's Kisses, or just a few much-needed toiletries can turn someone's entire year around. And isn't sharing with others the theme of the season?

We asked real people across the country about why they give gifts to strangers during the holidays. The responses may inspire you to start a new giving tradition of your own.


Krista McCord and her family join together to give homeless kids what they really need (and want) during the holidays.

Photo by rahmani KRESNA on Unsplash.

"My sister-in-law always shares a list of Christmas gift wishes from homeless teens," says McCord.  "It breaks my heart, because they're mostly asking for shoes and jackets and very few novelty items. We work hard to get everything on their list. I am so thankful that I am able to help. I also do a Toys for tots drive at work."

McCord's reason for giving is simple: "I give at Christmas because I can. I am thankful for what I have and that I am able to share," she says. "I want other people to feel like they are loved and cared about."

Wes Hough and his wife give so they can make the world a kinder place and set a great example for their children.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.

"We live in Delaware, and it regularly gets  below freezing here now. Particularly at night," says Hough.

"This year my wife and I decided we're going to make scarves to tie to light poles for the homeless here," he continues. "I want to do something nice and positive since I feel like so much of our lives have been consumed by negativity lately."

"I'm trying to set an example for my children —especially my 6 year old — that selflessness and charity are admirable traits. My kids inspire me to be better."

Miriam Campos and her children make hats for babies to pass on the same kindness they were once afforded.

Photo by Echo Grid on Unsplash.

"In the next few weeks we will be delivering baby beanies made by my kiddos and myself to the three hospitals where my kids were born," says Campos.

"All three of the pregnancies were difficult, but the last one was the most memorable. Jonathan was hospitalized for 5 days due to having a fever a few hours after being born. He was moved to the intensive care and the staff there comforted him with a beautiful crocheted blanket made by senior citizens living in nearby facilities."

"We started the project last year, but we didn’t quite make them all on time so this year, The Campos family is coming to town!"

Alice Garibaldi and her husband adopt a family each year. Their reason? To let others know that someone cares.

Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash.

"We adopt a family in Pajaro, California each year," says Garibaldi. "The people we give to are usually migrant workers who have no work during the coldest parts of the winter. We provide clothing, toys, groceries and sometimes special wishes like a microwave. I coordinate this with a few friends and we really give them a Christmas to remember."

"I also give toys and food to our local resource center," she continues. "And I make donations to the humane society."

"I want to share what I have, and feel like life is so unfair," Garibaldi adds. "Why do some of us have so much and others struggle always?"

"I just want to help and show someone cares, even an anonymous someone. It's easy to focus on yourself and those you love. I try to spread the love and realize we all need help sometimes."

Jasmine Williams and her family have a different kind of tradition. Every Christmas, they show their appreciation and gratitude to service workers. And each year, they learn a little more about grace.

Photo by Kate Townsend on Unsplash.

"Every year, the night before Christmas Eve, my family picks a restaurant and goes out to dinner. No matter how good or bad our service is, we give our server a 100 percent tip," says Williams.

"Over the years, we've been to many different restaurants to celebrate the holiday tradition, but there's one I will never forget. I sat down at the table across from my mom and sister, the three of us already grinning as the waiter introduced himself. A few minutes later, he headed back over with waters while we read over the menu. Except, we never got a chance to drink them. Our waiter somehow managed to drop an entire tray of ice waters directly into my lap."

"My sister and I both assumed we were leaving to go home, but my mom told us we were staying. I couldn't believe she wanted to stay and eat dinner there, let alone tip the waiter at all. But our tradition only has one rule: we must tip 100% regardless of the quality of service we receive."

"As an adult, this is still my favorite holiday tradition because it has taught me an important life lesson in gratitude and giving others a little more grace. It's not a lesson that we could have learned from a self-help book, college class, or life coach. It's one that we had to learn through action. I'm grateful to my mom for starting the tradition and even for that tray of ice waters, which brought me that a-ha moment."

Samantha Torrez and her husband Pedro strive to lessen the burden that families feel — especially during the holidays.

Photo by Samantha Torrez.

"My husband Pedro and I live in Pittsburgh, PA, but he is originally from Guatemala," writes Torrez in an email.

"Each Christmas, we visit his family in Guatemala for the holidays. We host an event in which we distribute baskets full of rice, beans, soup, toilet paper, toothbrushes and other necessities to families in need in his hometown."

"Last Christmas, with our personal contributions and contributions of family and friends, we were able to provide 200 baskets. This year, we intend to provide 225-250 baskets. This project connects us and those closest to us to a group of people we have never met before but who we know are in great need. As Guatemala is the fourth most undernourished country in the world, the impact this project has on impoverished families is nothing short of amazing. The families greatly enjoy our event, which includes festive food and drink and Christmas music before the baskets are distributed."

"Sometimes the smallest things, like a basket of basic goods, can have a huge impact on someone else's life. When your actions come from a place of love, they have a tremendous effect on others and can often create a ripple effect."

Finally, Jen Fry has taken a lesson from her mother, a woman who has everything. Instead of filling her house with more gifts — she's paying it forward to those who don't have enough.

Photo by Damir Bosnjak on Unsplash.

"My mom is in her 80s and has almost everything you can imagine, so buying gifts for her is always difficult," Fry writes in an email.

"About 4 years ago after hearing my mom consistently talk about downsizing, I realized that I wasn't helping by always buying her gifts for her birthday and holidays. Although she loved them (or said she did), I knew they were just adding up in her house. It was at that point I decided instead to sponsor women of her age during Christmas and buy them gifts."

"Now, I sponsor two elderly single women and their caretakers and buy them Christmas gifts. These women not only want Christmas gifts, they need them. My money goes a long away because instead of buying my mom some new electronic device, I get to buy these women clothing, house supplies, or anything else they would like."

"While it is important to buy those you love gifts, I feel it is more important to help those who are in need of love as well."

This holiday season, it's important to remember your blessings and think outside yourself.

If you think outside that box (that you're planning to give to your family), you'll be making a huge difference to whoever you give to, even if you never meet them face-to-face. After all, when you help someone you may not know have a better holiday, that's the true spirit of the season.  

Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

Keep ReadingShow less
via Google and Freepik

Google's new personal information removal submission page.

In the internet era, the idea of personal privacy is all but a myth. With a few keystrokes just about anyone can get your home address, phone number, email, age and the names of your family members. The fact that this information is readily available puts us all in the dangerous position of being the victim of fraud, stalking and violence.

What makes the situation even worse is that our information was put online without any of our consent.

The good news is that Google just made a big change that gives us all a little more control over our personal information. On April 27, the company announced it will allow anyone to request removals of their personal information from its Search feature.

“Open access to information is a key goal of Search, but so is empowering people with the tools they need to protect themselves and keep their sensitive, personally identifiable information private. That’s why we’re updating our policies to help people take more control of their online presence in Search,” Michelle Chang, Google’s Global Policy Lead for Search, announced on the company’s blog.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

An 8-year-old snuck his handwritten book onto a library shelf. Now it has a 56-person waiting list.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel— written by "Dillon His Self"—captured the hearts of his local librarians and their patrons.

Dillon Helbig's 81-page graphic novel captured the hearts of his local librarians.

Writing a book is no easy task, even for adult professional writers. Many would-be authors dream of a day when their work can be found on library shelves, unsure if it will ever come.

But for 8-year-old Dillon Helbig, that day has already arrived—in truly unconventional fashion—thanks to his own determination to make it happen.

Dillon wrote his 81-page graphic novel, "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" (written by "Dillon His Self") in a hardcover journal with colored pencils over the course of a few days. He even put a label on the back of the book that reads "Made in Idho" [sic] and put an illustrated spine label on it as well. Then, without telling anyone, he brought it to his local library in Boise, Idaho, and slipped it in among the books in the children's section.

Keep ReadingShow less

Becca Moore and Raul Torres having margaritas.

Becca Moore is a popular TikToker with over 800,000 followers who's known for her funny, laid-back takes on dating. Like any influencer-type she was at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California recently. While she was at Coachella, she was robbed of her phone, rental car keys and wallet.

“I went to Coachella this weekend and I thought this guy was kinda hitting on me but then he just robbed me,” Becca says at the beginning of her three-minute TikTok video with over 3 million views. After the festival, she was left with no ride, money, or means to get in contact with friends and family. She was stranded in the desert.

Becca’s friend’s hotel called her an Uber so she could get to a local store to buy a new phone. The driver she was incredibly lucky to be connected with was a lot more than a guy with a car in a time of need, he was a guardian angel named Raul Torres from Fresno, California, six hours north of Indio.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

44 years ago he became her protector after a terrible act. Today, they've been reunited in love.

Betsy and Irv are finally getting the happy ending they deserve. Together.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.

There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major, which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed, until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.

Keep ReadingShow less
@SopheAlice/TikTok

Best way to travel, really.

As they say, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”

This old adage was brought to life in a whole new way after two friends who thought they booked tickets to Budapest, Hungary, instead found themselves heading to Bucharest, Romania.

Just a minor 500-mile difference, but who’s counting?

TikToker @SophAlice posted a video of the pair realizing their mix-up, which went viral and set them off on an impromptu adventure based entirely on the comments they received.
Keep ReadingShow less