This is the first year that my husband and I have had money to really celebrate. Previous years were poor ones, partly because our firstborn needed surgery near Christmas for the past two years, partly because neither of us had good jobs.

Last Christmas, we received an amazing gift from my friend Julie. Our firstborn, Dorian, had just turned one and needed surgery to reverse his colostomy done at birth. You can read more about that here. I was 5 months pregnant with our second and there was absolutely NO WAY we were going to be able to afford the surgery before the new baby arrived.

Dorian at one year 

On that Christmas day, we enjoyed a dinner with my friend Julie and her husband and daughter, as well as my sister, down from Canada to visit. We exchanged simple gifts, stuffed toys for the kids, ornaments for the adults. Then Julie handed me an envelope. Inside was a list of names and dollar amounts. She had spent the previous two months raising money from people I don´t even know, as well as a handful of mutual friends.

Christmas Dinner 2006 

The amount raised? Just enough to cover the surgery my son needed and he had it in February, a full three months before his baby brother arrived. I´m still astounded that complete strangers gave their hard-earned money to help a baby they didn´t even know! One mom even put out a donation basket at her Christmas party and asked people to donate instead of bringing gifts!

Julie and Dorian, 2006 

We all need help at some point in our lives. Everyone has down times, whether financial or emotional and often there are people who will step up to help us, whether we know them or not. I´m sure you have had some help in your life, too.

So, when you find yourself up again and with a little extra love or extra cash to spend, will you give back? Here are a few ideas for returning the favor that someone else did you . . . or simply stocking up ahead for lean times to come!

• Invite someone you know has no family for Christmas dinner.

• “Adopt” a senior citizen from the local retirement home and take them some homemade Christmas cookies.

• Donate a food basket to a local family.

• Buy an extra toy and donate it to a needy child.

• Give a loan to a work at home mom in another country.

• Start sponsoring a child in a poorer country. Send them something special for the holidays.

• Donate a percentage of your December earnings to the charity of your choice.

• Make and stuff stockings to give to the homeless.

• Volunteer your family to serve Christmas dinner at a soup kitchen.

As you can see, you really don´t need a lot of money to give back! As for myself, I´ve pledged a specific amount of every $1000 that I earn online to Kiva, to help work at home moms in other countries get their businesses off the ground. Because a lot of people once helped me and my son and I feel that it is a debt that can be repaid by passing on the support.

Will you be giving back this Christmas?

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