Black Friday, Cyber Monday … Let’s Do Giving Tuesday.

The commercials, flyers and stores are doing everything they can to get us (and our pocketbooks) ready for the Holiday shopping season.  Deals are getting leaked and new products are being highlighted here and there.

But, there’s another day at the end of November that deserves being highlighted and noticed: Giving Tuesday.

Tuesday, November 27, is a day annually dedicated to the ACT of giving: giving of one’s time, money, services …. giving in order to help another person or charitable organization.

People from all over America — individuals, families, businesses and organizations — are all coming together that final Tuesday of November for the sole purpose of transforming “the way people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.”

How can you and your family participate?

Here are some practical, family-friendly ideas from givingtuesday.org (the official website):

• Honor the people in your community who keep everyone safe and healthy (Fire Department, Police Department, Healthcare Workers). Prepare a meal and deliver it to their place of work. Keep it simple, healthy and tasty. Include hand made cards, placemats, and thank you notes so that everyone in the family gets to contributes something. Deliver the meal together as a family. It is especially meaningful to share this moment together.

• As a family, empty your pockets and your piggy banks once every month! Collect 10% (or whatever percent you decide) of the money, and decide together where you want that money to go in your community.

• Home Treasure Hunt! Look in your closets at home …kitchen tools, dishes, towels and sheets, toys, books, school supplies. Collect what is not being used, what hasn’t been used in a long time, and the extras you have, and donate to a program that sets up families in new homes.

• “Change of Season” – At the beginning of each new season, think of one specific item that is needed. For instance, gloves and hats for winter, socks for fall, T-shirts for summer, etc. Do a collection in your neighborhood, building, or school for just that one item and donate. The younger children enjoy counting up the number of items that have been collected.

• For an entire week or two, everyone in the family skips the “extras” Take the money you would have spent on after school treats, a special ice cream, or coffees from your favorite vendor, and collect it all in a jar. Watch it mount and donate to your local food pantry to help others get the essentials foods they need.

As we approach a time of the becoming known for the focus on”what can we GET?”, this one day is the perfect way to get ourselves and families to channel our energy on others…. giving.

For even more ideas on getting your family involved, you can watch a recorded “Google+ Hangout” where Emily McMahon (of www.themotherhood.com) and others dedicated to family charitable giving and service share their tips and ideas.

What is something you think you and your family could do to help someone else for Giving Tuesday?