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For the majority of us, December 25 is marked on the calendar as one of the most special days of the year: a magical event practically EXPLODING with family, laughter, presents and an abundance of the greatest, most mouthwatering, lavish and utterly sensational food ever!

But unfortunately, this situation is not an accurate representation of everyone's Christmas, and for some, it can be one of the loneliest and heartbreaking events of the year. It may be due to financial stress, or caused by the absence of actually having somebody to share it with at all, but whatever the reason, we can all strive to spread joy and ensure the likelihood of Christmas being enjoyed by as many people as possible! Here's how:

x Volunteer at a soup kitchen, hostel or church, and spend your morning distributing an army of delicious treats to the homeless. The elation that you experience as you witness a sea of gratitude-saturated smiles and hope will be FAR superior to that of opening gifts. x Fill your handbag with an assortment of random ornaments, and attach them to inanimate objects throughout your street or city. (Think: a mirrored bauble hung from a tree, carol lyrics glued to a wall, or a stocking taped to a lamppost containing an inspirational article, quote or message!) x Visit a retirement village and hand out miniature Christmas puddings or chocolates. x Have your best friend's parents flown overseas for a much needed sabbatical? Is your co-worker's daughter unable to be with her on the almighty day of days? Invite one of your friends/acquaintances/colleagues without any concrete plans to join in on your Christmas celebrations. ''The more the merrier!'' is an old adage, but one that will always ring true. x Buy a present for a child in need. In Australia, my favourite resource for this is the Kmart Wishing Tree Appeal, a system which encourages people to place gifts under a giant Wishing Tree (located inside Kmart stores), which are then donated to a variety of charities to pass onto less-fortunate families. It's a simple concept, but one that has the potential to make a huge difference: it really is incredibly heartwarming to select an amazing doll or truck set and know that it will be unwrapped by someone in a gleeful frenzy and happily played with! x Bake (or, if you have the unique tendency to burn almost every culinary creation that you attempt to produce like I do, buy!) Christmas cookies and share them with your neighbours.

♥

How are you spending YOUR Christmas? What other tasks could we complete to ensure that someone else's December 25 experience is every bit as exceptional and memorable as ours?

xoxo

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(Image thanks to Melissa Maples.)