Most of us who are middle-class Americans love the Christmas season. We enjoy the shopping, the colorful decorations, and all the holiday foods. There are usually parties to attend, along with special concerts and other gala events. We usually have a few days off from work, so we get to spend a little extra time with our friends and loved ones.

Christians feel a special joy at Christmas because of the religious and spiritual aspects of the season, but many non-Christians in the U.S. also celebrate Christmas, seeing it as a time to open their hearts to others. I’m a Christian, but you don’t have to follow any religion to want to help your fellow man.

But what about those who aren’t as fortunate as we are? Do you ever consider what their holiday must be like? Many across the country aren’t so lucky. Some don’t have family and friends to share the joy with. Others are sick and bedridden. A lot of people don’t even have enough money to properly care for their families, much less buy them any gifts or cook a lavish meal. And this year, because of the jobless rate, U.S. families will be especially hard hit. What can you do to spread the Christmas spirit?

If you have even a little extra money, you can help significantly. Many people donate to charities at Christmas, which is a great idea, but I’m more of a hands-on person. I like to know where my money is going and what it went for, so last Christmas, my friend, Sandy, and I decided to adopt a family for Christmas.

I contacted our local DFACS office and told them I wanted the poorest family they had. The case worker quickly told me about a migrant farm family with ten children who were destitute. They were hard workers, but their meager wages just weren’t enough. This is the kind of family I was looking for! I didn’t think I could afford to buy for a family of twelve, but after Sandy offered to help, I thought we could do it together.

DFACS gave us the sex, age, and sizes of all the kids, and the sizes of the mom and dad. We didn’t want them to be left out. Then we went shopping. We bought all kinds of toys, books, and games for the younger kids, along with age-appropriate gifts for the teenagers. Everyone in the family got new clothes and a new pair of shoes, too. We found out that the kids had been begging for a Nintendo system, so we also purchased one of those.

It took us a couple of weeks to complete our shopping. When we did, we loaded it all up and took it to the DFACS office. After Christmas, Sandy and I both received hand-written letters from the father of the family. He told us it was the best Christmas his family had ever experienced!

Something else my family does at Christmas is to visit a local nursing home on Christmas Eve. So many of these people have been largely forgotten by their friends and family and have little cheer at Christmas. We get the grandkids all dressed up in their holiday outfits and take them to the home. You can’t imagine how happy the residents are to see children! Many of them never get to see or interact with kids, so this is a special treat for them.

Another thing you can do is to visit shut-ins during the season. You might want to take them a tin of cookies or some candy, but what they’re most interested in is just having a little company to chat with. Christmas can be a very lonely time if you don’t have any loved ones around, and you can spread joy by taking just a little time out of your busy schedule.

Something else you might do is to volunteer at a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Make it a family affair and take the whole gang! Doing so won’t “ruin” your normal festivities – you can choose to volunteer for just an hour or so. In that short period of time, you can touch a lot of lives.

You don’t have to have money to help others at Christmas. Volunteering and visiting nursing homes, soup kitchens, and shelters won’t cost you a cent. You might be surprised at how much helping others adds to your own holiday happiness! Imagine how much joy could be spread if everyone helped just a little. Together, we could make a huge impact.