I know I’m not the only one to say this, but this is absolutely my favorite time of year. It’s beautiful, it’s FUN, and it’s full of goodness. I love seeing people reach out to each other and make an extra effort to serve and include others. I love seeing how everyone spreads the light of Christ and the world really does seem a little brighter.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints extended an invitation to everyone to help “Light the World” this holiday season. Whether you’re religious or not, we all have a light we can share with others to make their day brighter and to spread cheer and gladness wherever we go. And what better time to keep that light in our hearts than Christmastime?

There’s certainly a lot of ways to light the world, and your kitchen is a great place to help you accomplish just that. I like having specific tasks for every day/week, so I can hold myself accountable and make sure that I’m truly focusing on what’s important during the chaos of the holiday season. If I have a plan I can make it happen! You can create an advent or calendar full of ideas of how you can serve, and here are a few ideas to get you started.

*Go through your pantry and donate a box of canned food to a local shelter.

*Invite someone to dinner (think of someone who may be feeling lonely this season- a widow, an elderly couple, someone who has recently suffered a job loss, etc).

*Bake cookies and take them to someone who has served you.

*Make some Christmas goodies like fudge and toffee and go caroling to all your neighbors.

*Invite a neighbor over that could use some extra friendship. Teach them a couple of your favorite recipes and get to know them better. (And it doesn’t just have to be an adult! Is there a niece or nephew or babysitter that could benefit from this outreach?)

*Set out goodies and water bottles for your mailman or deliverymen. They’re certainly busy this time of year!

*Host a little cooking class in your neighborhood! You could cater it towards a younger audience, teens, or even adults if you have a special skill (a few ideas could be pizza dough, cupcake decorating, pie crusts, macaroons, homemade noodles, fudge and other homemade candies, etc).

*Go through your kitchen cabinets and pull out anything you haven’t used in a long time. Donate these to your local thrift store, a newlywed couple just starting out, or anyone that could use them!

*Volunteer at a local soup kitchen. Put your cooking skills to good use ;).

*Take dinner to a new mom, new neighbor, someone who has recently undergone surgery, lost a job, or anyone you feel could use a show of friendship.

These are just a handful of ideas- and you can be as creative as you want! If you want to join the challenge to Light the World, download this calendar and tweak it to make it perfect for you and your family’s situation. There are several more ideas you can find at this link, so you’ll have plenty of options that can work for your unique circumstance.

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/service-calendar-ideas

However you decide to Light the World this holiday season, I hope you and your family enjoy many good memories as you work together to serve and make the world just a little brighter :).