Spread the love on Valentine’s Day weekend by helping others. Do it as a couple, alone, or get a group of friends together.

Heal the Bay Help clean up our beaches. We all need the ocean to survive.

Meals On Wheels Change lives daily by making sure they get a meal and some company every day.

Make A Wish Help this organization grant wishes to children with illnesses.

Adult Literacy Teach reading to adults through the LA public library.

Downtown Women’s Center Helping women get back on their feet.

Lange Foundation Saving homeless and impounded animals.

If you want to check out a major charity in your area, use the Charity Navigator. They rate charities so you know who runs efficiently and makes sure the money goes to help people.

If you want to stay local – most hospitals, museums, schools, and soup kitchens need volunteers.

There is one thing that makes anyone feel truly rich-doing an act of kindness. Now I’m not going to get all preachy on you. Just think when someone asks you for directions how good you feel helping them out.  When someone drops a package and you help them pick it up.  When you give a few canned goods to the local food drive.

I know we all want bright and shiny new things for the holidays. Maybe what we really want is to feel part of the community that we live in, maybe we want to help out the local hospital, maybe we want to volunteer to ladle out a meal at the local shelter, or maybe we want to organize an activity at the senior center.

Add up all the time you would have spent looking for parking, pushing your way through a mall, fighting long lines, and returning unwanted gifts. Now divide that time into two sections.  Use a portion to perform any volunteering that you would find satisfying. Use the other portion for a hot bath, tea with a friend, reorganizing pictures, or whatever activity makes you feel pampered.  If you need some gifts, go early with a strict list, and leave early before it becomes a madhouse.

Laugh when you see the news stories about everyone else heading to the mall for last minute Holiday shopping. 

You will also be heading there – after the Holidays when everything is on sale.