Christmas: The Season of Giving Back

Lisa Franchi December 24, 2013

Why do we give gifts at Christmas? It’s hard to imagine Christmas without thinking about giving gifts. This is the time of the year when most of us take the opportunity to express endearment to our loved ones by giving them presents wrapped in beautiful boxes. A lot of people spend inordinate amounts of money, time and effort looking for the perfect stuff. Everyone wants to give something special.

The tradition of gift fiving perhaps manifests the real spirit of Christmas. That is, it is the season of giving. It’s really heart-warming to know that at this time of the year, many people from different parts of the world take the opportunity to give back to others. December is the month when numerous charity events and activities are being organised, most of which are spearheaded by celebrities and known personalities. Even ordinary citizens are taking part of these meaningful activities as their way of giving back and expressing gratitude for a blissful year.

The Healing Wonders of Generosity

The saying “the more you give the more you receive” is true. Vast studies have shown that generosity promotes good health and well-being in plenty of ways, and its benefits extend not just to the recipient but also the giver. A 2008 study by the Harvard Business School for instance, found that giving money to someone else lifted participants’ happiness more than spending it on themselves despite the participants’ prediction that spending money for their own would make them happier. The act of giving has been shown to promote health benefits among people with chronic illness, including HIV and multiple sclerosis. Meanwhile, a 2006 study by Johns Hopkins University and University of Tennessee revealed that people who provided social support to others had lower blood pressure than participants who didn’t.

A quite older study, carried out in 1999 by the University of California, Berkeley researchers found that volunteers are less likely to die over a five-year period than were non-volunteers. Their findings remained the same even after taking into account other factors like age, general health, and unhealthy habits like smoking. Stephanie Brown of the University of Michigan got the same results. She and her colleagues found that individuals who provided practical help to friends, relatives, or neighbours, or gave emotional support to their spouses, had a lower risk of dying over a five-year period than those who didn’t. What is surprising is that the receiving help wasn’t linked to reduced mortality rate.

Finding Time to Give

If you are like most people, you may be stretched of time and money this Christmas season. But still you can give, even just a little. It doesn’t always have to be in form of money or gifts. There are simple things we can do to extend help to others. Maybe you can prepare some sandwiches to give to the homeless and the less fortunate you encounter. If you can’t donate money, donate time. There are many charities that need volunteers. Perhaps you can make volunteering one of your New Year’s resolutions.

Let this Christmas season be a time of giving and sharing. Make it your goal to make someone else, even a stranger, smile today.