Blogmas, Day 10: The importance of giving

“Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart” – The Polar Express

Christmas is an important time to reflect on the year we’ve had and to think about the less fortunate. It can be a very lonely time for some and some others may not have the luxuries that we do. Sadly in England homelessness is never ending, for both people and animals. But there are many different ways to help this year if you want to give something back. It doesn’t even have to cost you money, just a few hours of your time.

Ways to give back this Christmas:

• Volunteer at your local shelter or food bank
• Donate some items to a charity that are in need – perhaps coats and winter wear to get through the cold season
• Make up a shoe-box of goodies – usually around October/November, sometimes earlier, charities will start to advertise their shoe-box appeals, so keep an eye out
• You could partake in a fair – perhaps your local village or somewhere does a bake sale, or a jumble sale that you could donate some things to.
• Some charities have an ‘Amazon Wish List’ – if you’re not able to physically get to a centre, or perhaps don’t know what they want, then this is always a good idea to have a look through

But just know that whatever you choose to do, no matter how big or small, it all makes a difference to those less fortunate than us ❤

My heart lies with animals, it always has and it always will, so I try my hardest to try and help them where I can.

Last year we made up a little goody box to go to the RSPCA. It wasn’t anything massive or expensive, probably about £10 or so. We just popped to our local ‘bargain’ shop and picked up a couple of blankets, some dog and cat treats, a couple of toys and I think some food was also in there. So it may seem small, but if everybody did that then they’d have plenty to see them through. Besides, every little helps ❤

So this year we’re taking part in the Raystede Christmas Shoe Box Appeal. It’s organised on a voluntary basis, but is something that has been going on for a fair few years I believe.

Raystede is a charity based in Sussex that focuses on providing support, shelter and safety to over 2000 animals a year. You can pop on over to their website if you’re interested in finding out a little more about them 🙂

But me, Rich and the pups are putting together a box of a few things to take to Raystede over Christmas to help support the animals in their care that don’t have a home this year.

 ❤ ❤

Em x