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How to Start an Altruistic Christmas Tradition

Posted on 12/25/2017

How to Start an Altruistic Christmas Tradition

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it! Christmas is about spending time with family, giving to others and of course—the traditions. Traditions are an important part of the holiday season. Does your family bake cookies to leave out for Santa? Maybe you open your presents on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas day. Maybe your family doesn’t really celebrate Christmas, but you still like to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

Whatever your traditions are, there’s always a way to integrate them with an altruistic lifestyle. If you and your family wants to focus on giving back to others this Christmas, here are some ideas for how to start a more altruistic Christmas tradition.

1. Get a toy, give a toy.
One way to instill altruistic values in your children this Christmas is to practice “get a toy, give a toy.” In the United States especially, we consistently find ourselves overwhelmed with stuff. You can get ahead of this trend by having children or family members give something away for each item they get. As their stockings fill up with goodies and rooms bulge at the seams from all their new gifts, you can spend time as a family going through items together to find something worth giving. Donate gently used toys or clothing to a local nonprofit organization in your community and see how you can brighten another child’s holiday season.

2. Host a book exchange.
Winter breaks and time together are the perfect opportunity for some holiday reading. Host a book exchange with your friends, family or neighbors in the community to share and swap some of your favorite books. Not only will you and your family have an enjoyable time and gain some new reading materials, but you can lead a more altruistic life by promoting the values of sharing and giving to others.

3. Have a spare change jar.
Start getting ready for next year’s Christmas today by putting out a “Charity Change Jar.” Set an empty jar where everyone can see it, then throughout the year encourage your family to chuck their spare change in the jar whenever possible. Let the coins and small bills build up over the year until the following Christmas. Then, take a vote as a family for which cause you want to donate the change to, and go together to make your contribution. A tradition like this is a fun way to get everyone involved throughout the year, and celebrate giving every Christmas.

4. Put together a package.
This Christmas, spread the joy by putting together a goody package for someone else in the community or overseas. Programs like Operation Christmas Child or military care packages give you and your family the opportunity to help others either in your neighborhood or in the global community. Make a tradition every year to put together a package full of Christmas goodies, helpful items or kind notes to brighten up someone’s day during the holiday season.

5. Volunteer with a cause.
Finally, one tradition that never goes out of style: volunteering with a cause you care about. Get your family together this Christmas and make an effort to go out into the community and give back with a local nonprofit organization. Having a tradition like this emphasizes the value of altruism throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season.

This Christmas, celebrate with your loved ones by making new traditions with an altruistic spin. Start a Christmas tradition that not only brings your family together, but shows them the value of giving to, supporting and loving others.

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The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources, a program of Children's Aid and Family Services, is a recognized leader in community and school-based education programs about alcohol and drug abuse prevention. Founded in 1979, The Center provides extensive resources, information, expertise and support in understanding and preventing alcohol and drug abuse and advocates for responsive prevention and treatment services. The Center offers evidence-based programs to communities and schools, as well as a full-service resource and referral center. The Center has programs, services and workshops for people of all ages to strengthen families and promote healthy lifestyles. The Center is the official Prevention Resource Center for Bergen County and towns East of the Passaic River in Passaic County.

Heroin: The Silent Epidemic

It has been all over the local news. There has been a dramatic increase in teenagers and young adults using heroin, especially in Bergen County. Below are a series of resources and articles for parents.

Special Report From North Jersey.com on Heroin
Click here to read The Bergen Record's Special Report on Heroin: Suburbia's Deadly Secret

Bergen County Prevention Coalition PSA

Watch the Bergen County Prevention Coalition PSA entitled The voices of Addiction of Bergen County. The video tells the stories of three people who live in Bergen County, New Jersey; a mom whose 21 year-old daughter passed away after overdosing on heroin, a young man incarcerated in the Bergen County jail who was a high school track star and began using painkillers when he broke his arm in several places, and a young woman who began using heroin when she was 17 and is now in a recovery program. Their stories began similarly - drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana were fun things to do and not a big deal or anything that was of great concern. The link between early use and the use of pills and heroin are what followed with each story’s outcome different from the other; with death, incarceration, and recovery.

We want you to know that they are not alone in managing issues related to addiction, there are resources available for help and support. Reach out to The Center for Drug and Alcohol Resources at 201-740-7069 or thecenter@cafsnj.org for more information or to access resources.

Turn in your expired or unused prescriptions for safe disposal.There are many sites throughout Bergen County where you can safely dispose of your expired or used prescriptions. See the link below.

http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/meddrop

Opioid Overdose Recovery Program (OORP)

The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources was awarded a contract from the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, to develop the Opioid Overdose Recovery Program in Bergen County. The purpose of the Program is to provide one-on-one assistance in emergency rooms by an individual in long-term recovery to those who have overdosed on opioids and were given Narcan by a law enforcement official, EMT or hospital staff, to end the ‘revolving door’ of cycling in and out of drug overdose situations. OORP can be dispatched 24 hours a day 7 days per week when Narcan is administered.

TCADR Self-Administered Screening Tool

The Center for Alcohol and Drug Resources (TCADR) has launched a web-based interactive screening tool designed to provide users with appropriate referrals to addiction treatment services. TCADR Self-Administered Screening Tool guides the user through a short series of questions and, based on the responses, generates two referrals to treatment providers local to Bergen County, New Jersey and its immediate vicinity. While not intended to diagnose a substance abuse problem, the tool utilizes the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Patient Placement Criteria to provide referrals to programs that are appropriate to the user's needs. The ASAM Criteria is the most widely used and comprehensive criteria used for the placement of individuals with alcohol and drug problems. The tool is not designed to take the place of an assessment by an addictions professional, but it will take the guesswork out of where to turn for help.

To take the TCADR Self-Administered Screening Tool click here.

Parenting and Family Guide

This grid is updated monthly, September through June. If you are a service provider and wish to promote your programs on this please contact Chanel Dupree at cdupree@cafsnj.org.

Click on the grid below to download (pdf format).