7 Different ways to give this Christmas

As we are now in December and fully embracing the Christmas spirit of giving, what better way to give than to help people in need.

 You don't need to spend lots of money (or any money at all) in order to give or be charitable. Regular donations to your favourite charity are great, but if you're budget is tight or you want other ways to give to charity, here are a few of my favourite ways to give back.

1. Set up a regular donation.

If there's room in your budget, one of the best ways to help your favourite charity is to set up a regular donation. This helps charities to have financial security and helps them spend less money on fundraising campaigns meaning more money to help those in need.

But as I said, you don't need to spend extra money in order to give....

2. Ask for or give a charity gift this Christmas
Many charities offer 'charity gifts' which means instead of buying somebody a gift, you donate money to your chosen charity on their behalf.

These types of presents are perfect for people who say they don't want any gifts e.g. most grandparents!

These gifts are also wonderful to receive. In the modern day many people have everything they need and more and so to receive a charity gift is a wonderful way for your nearest and dearest to let you know they are thinking of you whilst also benefiting those is need.

Since the age of about 15, I have asked for one of these gifts on my Christmas list which I think as a teenage helped remind me of how lucky I was, especially at Christmas time. Many charities including WaterAid, Oxfam and Unicef (to name a few), offer these charity gifts.


3.  Volunteer your time 

Not everyone has money to spare, but everyone has time to spare, even if it is just one hour. Through donating your time, you can help people directly. You could volunteer at a local charity shop, homeless shelter, local school, fundraising campaign and many more

Radio 1 are currently promoting their one million hours campaign asking listeners to donate their time throughout 2016. Why not take part and pledge your time in 2016.


4. Volunteer your time on a regular basis

Regular volunteers are a blessing and also a necessity to charities. Most charities in the UK wouldn't be able to thrive without the help of regular volunteers.

I am a Brownie guide leader which involves giving up about 2 hours of my time a week. It's great fun and when the girls leave Brownies feeling happy, it is very rewarding. It is hard work on times but a really fun way to volunteer your time.


5. Have a clear out and donate unwanted items

The best time to clear out your house is just after Christmas. Everybody has received many lovely new presents and is often struggling for places to put them away. Whether it's clothes you've grown out of or no longer need, charity shops will be so thankful for your donation.

Even better, why not have a sort through your things before the Christmas frenzy so that you'll have plenty of room for your lovely new gifts.

6. Give Blood

One of the most underestimated and overlooked ways to give is to give blood . Stocks are often lower over the Christmas period yet the need is just as high. Giving blood is quick, easy and can save a life!

7. Charity starts at home

You don't have to work with a registered charity to give at Christmas and as the famous saying goes 'charity starts at home'. At Christmas time especially, people are often very busy, stressed and rushed off their feet. You could offer to look after a friend or family members children for an evening, or offer to do the dishes after Christmas lunch. The list of ways to help at home is endless and any help will definitely be very well received.

Other ways to give could be buying charity Christmas cards or holding a charity Christmas bake sale. Do you have any different ways of giving at Christmas time?

xxx

5 days in Barcelona - FairlyPale explores

Barcelona is just magical and I think it may have stolen my heart. The buildings, the food, the culture, the beaches and of course the weather.....there is so much to love about Barcelona. My boyfriend and I planned a fairly last minute five day trip there in the first week of September and I am so glad we did.

We arrived late on the Sunday night and took the aero bus to the city centre thinking that we would struggle to find somewhere to eat at 11:30pm. Oh we were wrong - the restaurants were full and bustling with people which we were very thankful for. It took some adjustment for us Brits who usually eat fairly early but the food was worth waiting for. We had tapas on our first night and mainly every night thereafter. The food is delicious and relatively cheap, and the Sangria wasn't too bad either.....

We spent our days sightseeing, walking around the city, relaxing on the beach, eating delicious food and enjoying each others company. We wanted to enjoy our time in Barcelona whilst still managing to see and do all of the things we wanted to. Five days was the perfect amount of time for us as we didn't come back from holiday exhausted and worn out but didn't feel like we had missed anything.


Here are a few of the things we enjoyed the most and would recommend:

• Parc Güell is beautiful and has amazing views of the city. The colours and the detail are incredible and highlights the fantastic work of Gaudi. 
• The cable car ride up to Parc Montjuic is perfect when you've walked all day and has even more amazing views of the city. There's definitely no shortage of fantastic city views in Barcelona.
• Bicycle hire was a must for us (6 euros for two hours!) . We cycled along the coast from barceloneta beach to Leneva beach. We got to explore a little bit more of the coast and very much appreciated the cool breeze as we cycled in the heat. 

before our ride along the coast

• Las Sagrada Familia. I don't think anyone can go to Barcelona for the first time and not visit here. The architecture is incredible, however, I have to say that I was more taken back by the architecture of the Barcelona cathedral. 

• Exploring the beautiful architecture, especially in the Gothic quarter, was one of my favourite things to do. There are so many beautiful buildings - the Barcelona Cathedral was one of the most beautiful.

Barcelona Cathedral at dusk 

• Last but not least, the food! My boyfriend is notoriously a picky yet even he tried (and loved) all the different dishes we ate.

There's something very special about cities; European cities especially. The architecture, culture and history is so apparent. I grew up in a small town and I think that's why I am intrigued by cities - even though I now work in London quite regularly I still get so excited by the buzz and the busyness of the city. I definitely have a few more European city breaks on my to go list!!

Xxx

Write about what makes you happy

My main goal or motto that I strive to live by is to do what makes me happy. I spent years of my life not doing things that made me happy simply because I thought other people would think I was weird. I love singing in choirs and classical music and have done since I was maybe eight, but I never used to tell people because I was embarrassed. Now I have learnt that people really don't care what your hobbies are or what you do as long as you're happy and aren't hurting anybody. In fact, people are genuinely quite interested if you have a not so average hobby! Fast forward ten years, I am so happy to finally do what I want without caring about if people like it or not. 

The same comes for the 'blogging world'. I have noticed that some people post about things they think people will like or follow as opposed to what they want to post or write. I just really enjoy sharing what makes me happy and if nobody reads it, likes my photo or follows me, then that's okay. If you want to write about your favourite shade of eyeshadow, good for you. If I want to write about my favourite type of washing up liquid, good for me (although thankfully I am not THAT boring yet....).

After years being a self concious teenager, it feels so great to do what makes me happy and not feel embarrassed about it. I was speaking to a very good friend of mine recently about this and how we really enjoy being confident enough in ourselves to do whatever makes us happy. 

If you have a blog and find yourself writing about things you're really not passionate about, try writing about things that matter to you and you'll probably find it a lot more enjoyable to write. Do what makes you happy :)

Xxx