Do more this holiday season

It's a quiet morning in our home, so far. Only one mini me is awake, and she's snuggled up in a chair watching "Sofia the First."

The coffee in my cup is fresh. I just brewed it.

There are two pies in the oven I made last night and a dish of squash in the refrigerator to go with dinner later. I've picked out a few bottles of wine to enjoy with family on this Thanksgiving.

We aren't hosting the holiday, but I love food and I love to cook and bake, so I offered to do as much as I could.

I wish I could do more.

Because I have a warm house, and others do not.

Because we have enough money to feed us all, and others get by with only the means to feed their children, and sometimes even that is difficult.

Because, though the soles of my sneakers are cracked and my feet get wet when it rains, I still have shoes. I keep wearing the ones I have because I'm too cheap to go buy new, not because I cannot afford to.

Because I've been fortunate enough to get a really nice winter jacket handed down to me, and others only have tattered and torn sweatshirts.

Because my husband has a good job that allows me to stay home with our children while they're little, and others have no choice but to work long hours to the point they may barely see their babies.

I wish I could do more. No. I can do more. I wish I wasn't afraid to do more. I wish I didn't make excuses for why I haven't done more. I wish more people wanted to do more. I wish stores weren't going to open on Thanksgiving night, but would instead encourage their employees to spend that time with family or lending a hand at a local homeless shelter or food bank. I wish all stores that offered Black Friday deals also asked consumers to donate one clothing or non-perishable food item with their purchase of holiday gifts and household products.

I wish. Because even people who hold jobs sometimes aren't paid enough after the government takes its cut to feed their families and need the help of food pantries and handouts. And some of those people make less than a living wage, but somehow still make too much to qualify for WIC or food stamps ... or they qualify but are ashamed to apply for assistance thinking it will make people think little of them. They aren't all abusing the system, but so many are lumped into that category by others who don't know their stories.

Instead of people just giving out of the kindness of their hearts, there's now a thing called "Giving Tuesday" - which I think is a great idea and seems to have accomplished its goal in 2012, the first year it took place. Giving Tuesday takes place Dec. 3 this year.

I hate to think people will turn these acts of giving into nothing more than a tax write off, though. After all, we don't all have extra funds to donate to an organization or charity of our choice. Some of us have little extra to afford a weekly $5 donation to our places of worship and our Christian guilt makes us queasy.

But, there are other ways - give your time, give a meal, give a jacket your children have outgrown.

Sometimes the best gifts aren't in the form of money.

Here are some ideas of how you can give back once you've finished your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping:

• Hit up a local grocer for non-perishables you would normally stock your cupboards with. Donate those items to your local food pantry.
• Your kids have outgrown a ton of clothes in the last year, or you have baby clothes packed away and don't plan to have any more babies? Give them to a shelter for the homeless.
• Call your area veteran's hospital and see if they need items for patients - like books, crossword puzzles, puzzles, sweatshirts and sweatpants, quilts, slippers and fuzzy socks. It's winter. Our warriors need to stay warm, too.
• Do you knit or crochet? I'm sure there's a NICU or cancer hospital who would have people who truly appreciate a warm hat. My mom and aunt have taken to making Chemo Caps - I've given several to a woman we attend church with and a few to a little girl the same age as Josie who's undergoing treatments. I have more that will be given to our local children's hospital for the babies going through chemo close to home.
• Volunteer - candy stripers aren't a thing of the past. Call your local nursing home or hospital activities coordinator and see how you can help.

And there are a million more things you could do to help this holiday season, but my not-quite-caffeinated-enough brain is foggy on the details. Feel free to link more ideas in the comments.

If you are more likely to give money this holiday season, be sure to research who you're giving to. Many organizations use your generosity to fund their overhead costs - administration doesn't come cheap for some of these "charities" and a large part of donations goes to salaries. I'm not going to tell you to not give to organizations like the United Way or The Salvation Army, because that decision has to be left to the giver not some obscure blogger on the interwebs, but first maybe look at smaller charities in your own community and how your donation can help someone you may know.

Too many people suffer in silence. Introduce yourself and give them a voice.