It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to get festive! Here are six ways to get involved in your community this holiday season.
1. Hold a holiday decorating contest
Jump in on the holiday spirit by decorating your home for the holidays and creating a fun little competition out of the participation! On a specified evening, everyone in the Remember, it’s important to check with your HOA board to determine what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to outdoor decorations. As long as your decorations stay within
the recommended size, area, and other guidelines, you should be good to go!
2. Arrange a neighborhood Secret Santa or “You’ve Been Elf-ed”
“You’ve Been Elf-ed” is essentially the holiday version of the Hallowneen “You’ve Been BOO-ed” game. It goes something like this: A few weeks before Christmas, or at the beginning of December, one neighbor begins the game by filling a basket with treats and holiday-related items. They also include a note, stating that the person to receive the package has been “elf-ed,” and instructions on how they can proceed with the game. For more information, check out this website: https://christmas.organizedhome.com/celebrate/youve-been-elfed-poem-signs
3. Coordinate a holiday cookie or dessert exchange
Everyone loves a sweet treat! Have everyone sign up to bake their favorite type of cookie, cake, or pastry, and arrange some sort of matching system to make sure that everyone is both giving and receiving a holiday treat. Then, on a day chosen by the community, have everyone deliver their goods to each other!
4. Have a gingerbread house decorating competition
Shape and bake your own gingerbread house pieces from scratch, or purchase a kit from your local grocery store, and put your decorating skills to the test! Incorporate your favorite candies and colored icings to bring out the cookie architect within you. Then, have members of your community judge each contestant to choose a handful of winners! To make things even easier, you can use some sort of online forum like social media to upload photos of your gingerbread house and allow for easy voting.
5. Participate in caroling
Have the neighborhood vote on songs they’d like to hear, send the music to everyone interested, and decide on an evening that works best for everyone participating. Then, once everyone has had some time to learn the words, perfect the melody, and practice the songs, gather at a place of your choosing to bring the gift of music to your neighborhood!
6. Collect for a charity
The holidays are a time for giving back and focusing on gratitude, which makes December a great time to arrange a community collection for charity. Whether you choose to collect money to donate to a local cause or organization of your choice, or you decide to do a donation drive for supplies such as food, toys, or clothes, you have the ability to make a huge difference in someone’s life! For more information about local donation events taking place near you, check out: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/north-county-community-news/story/2020-11-13/holiday-food-and-clothing-and-gift-drives
These are just a few fun ideas of ways you can get involved with your community during the holiday season. Remember to always abide by the rules set forth by your HOA, as well as COVID-19 protocol, to preserve the health and safety of everyone in your neighborhood. Happy holidays from Atlantic & Pacific Management!