1. Buy Presents for Charities
There are many people around Australia and the world who unfortunately wake up on Christmas morning without any presents. One great thing about this situation is that you can do something to change this.

Many large department stores have trees out the front that you can take a name tag and buy a gift for that person. One store that does a terrific job with this is K-mart. They then pass the gift onto a major charity.

If you are not sure what to give, most charities are looking for presents for all ages including both children and adults. Children love to receive games or toys while adults appreciate more practical presents like homewares and clothes.

2. Donate Money
Christmas is a great time to consider donating money to registered charities. While the donating of money can be an all-year round activity Christmas sees an increased time of need for charity support.

There are many charities in Australia who provide services to the needy. These include the Salvation Army, the Smith Family, and the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia and others including Plan, World Vision, Oxfam and CARE tackle global poverty.

For many of these charities the donation of $1 a day can make a significant difference, particularly if thousands of people support them.

All the charities above are monitored closely by regulatory bodies to ensure that a large percentage of the money that is donated goes to those who need it, rather than essential operating costs for the organisation.

3. Attend Fund-Raising Events
Councils and communities around Australia organise local carol nights and fund-raisers to help the needy. In Melbourne there are a couple of major events including ‘Carols by Candlelight’ which are held every Christmas Eve at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. This night helps Vision Australia to improve the lives of blind and vision-impaired children. Tickets are sold through Ticketmaster each year and the thousands who attend have a great night out.

4. Volunteer Your Time
This act costs you nothing and can make a significant difference to hundreds of people each year.

At Christmas time many charities are looking for volunteer support to serve Christmas lunch and distribute presents to those less fortunate. While most charities receive strong support leading up to and during the Christmas period, it is often the post Christmas period that charities are looking for volunteer support.

There are many other charities that also require support around Christmas time. The Red Cross provides support to fire fighters and other emergency-service workers who are active during the hotter months of the year fighting bushfires. Tasks such as catering and assisting evacuees are critical support positions in these situations.

If you are unable to volunteer your time at Christmas, many charities need volunteer support all year-round. In Melbourne, The Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda prepares and serves about 400 lunches every day of the year. Most major cities have soup vans that go around a feed those less fortunate and are always looking for volunteer support.

5. Random Acts of Kindness
Probably our favourite is to do random acts of kindness. It may just be helping an older person across the road or placing a $5 note into the hand of a beggar on the park bench, but it is these random acts of kindness that make the world a better place to live in.