Ho-ho-hope

It’s the season of giving, or so they say. I know most dream of being the one tearing apart wrapping paper, receiving the newest video game, or tickets to the concert of the year. Kids scribble wish lists, people exchange secret Santa slips tacked with their likes and dislikes, and the season of giving seems to excite most because of the getting. But this holiday season, I ask you: give. The world needs it. If you’re able to volunteer, donate, or spread awareness, I beg you, do so.

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Here are five charities you could give to this Holiday season.

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• Project Linus

Project Linus, named after the famous Peanuts character, is a charity that provides homemade blankets to children in need. Over the years, they have provided 10,359,234+ blankets to kids who are “seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need.” With chapters in every US state, one can support this charity by donating homemade blankets or by volunteering at a “local chapter event.” If you love crafting and you want to help a child in need, take the time to find your local chapter and sign up to volunteer.

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• Covenant House

Covenant House provides unhoused teens a place to live. If you are able to give money, you can contribute to “long-term support for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking,” which the charity has already done for 1.5 million people. If you’d like to provide a teen a warm bed, a meal, and a chance at a better future, this holiday season, include Covenant House on your wish-list.

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• Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger fights malnutrition in over 55 countries. On their website, you can learn all about how hunger is currently affecting our world, taking the lives of over 2 million children annually. By donating to Action Against Hunger, you “enable people to provide for themselves, see their children grow up strong, and for whole communities to prosper.” Whether you're enjoying a warm Turkey or, a tasty latke or a hallaca this holiday season, please consider filling the stomachs of a family in need.

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• One Simple Wish

One Simple Wish provides a platform for people to donate to children in the foster care system or in crisis by donating to fulfill a child’s wish.  By sharing children’s stories instead of statistics, One Simple Wish’s website states they “connect communities and change lives.” If you like knowing exactly where your donation money will go and enjoy the idea of fulfilling a child’s small, significant request, such as a new toy or a night light, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. Scroll through their stories and find someone you can help. This holiday season, be a wish-granter.

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• Save The Children Fund

The Save The Children Fund has supported the lives of over a billion children since its start. As their website says, in just 2024, they “helped 114 million children in 113 countries become healthier, safer and better educated.” If you feel like donating somewhere far-reaching and with a reliable reputation, donate to the Save The Children Fun, and give children globally a better chance at a brighter future.

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One of my favorite parts of the holiday seasons is the magic of it. The cold December air sometimes feels like it's harboring secrets, like at any second Santa’s sleigh bells will start sounding, and my cousins will run out from the porch and into the grass to chase him and his flying reindeer. As I've grown older, the magic has dissipated. I no longer stare down Santa tracking apps on my iPad and watch him get closer and closer to Texas. I don’t ask my elf on shelves if they can send a message to my friends in Sweden. I don’t frown anytime my classmates make a teasing remark about Santa’s existence. The magic has dissipated, but it isn’t gone. The wonder lives on. In every laugh wrapped around the table, in every flour fight after making bereniki, in every opening a gift and watching someone else open yours, their eyes widening, their jaw dropping, their joyous exclamation. That’s magic. So for this season of giving, please, with whatever small part you can play, try to spread that magic to the places that need it most. Happy Holidays.

Sources

“Project Linus National Headquarters.” Volunteer - Project Linus Project Linus, www.projectlinus.org/volunteer.php. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

“About Us.” Covenant House, www.covenanthouse.org/about-us. Accessed 7 Jan. 2026.

Extra Space Storage. “14 Charities to Support during Holidays.” Extra Space Storage, 3 Dec. 2025, www.extraspace.com/blog/giving-back/charities-you-can-support-for-the-holidays/.