Make handmade Christmas tree ornaments.

In your school, church or organization lobby, instead of decorating a Christmas tree with the usually decorations, decorate the tree with scarves, hats, sock and mittens. Donate the “decorations” to the local shelter or school that has at-risk children in need of such items.

Make holiday gift baskets of food, clothing, hygiene items, and other needed supplies. Decorate the baskets for the holidays and donate them to a family in need.

Go to a local nursing home. Help the residents write holiday cards and letters with stationery and stamps that you have donated.

Volunteer to read special holiday stories at a local nursing home, shelter or daycare center.

Invite a person who does not have family in the area to share a holiday meal with your family.

Instead of the usual gifts, create colorful coupons that the recipient can redeem for things like 2 hours of babysitting, help cleaning the garage, or 2 hours of volunteer service at a local charity. Think of some other things that you volunteer to do to help make this world a better place for all of us to live.

Put on a play, puppet show, or sing along at a local nursing home, shelter or daycare center.

Volunteer with your family to bring an older person to the library, worship services, family meals, shopping, etc.

Create care packages to send to servicemen stationed overseas.

Celebrate “Christmas in July” or any other month of the year. Choose from some of the projects mentioned above and do them. You can even decorate or do other holiday activities to add some festive holiday cheer any other time of the year.

Remember the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland? Remember her “Unbirthday Party?” Create a special “unbirthday party” for someone who could use a little cheer or appreciation.

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Individuals may be presented with plenty of opportunities to cook for a crowd over the course of a typical year. But no time of year is more synonymous with large sit-down meals than the holiday season.

Certain foods, such as pasta dishes and casseroles, are ideal dishes to cook for crowds. However, for those home cooks who want to prepare in advance and then enjoy themselves on the actual holiday, it may be best to choose foods that taste better the day after the dish has been cooked. Many recipes develop deeper flavor profiles after they have been left to rest and are then reheated. Holiday hosts can explore these ideas for meals that can be cooked in advance and taste even better when reheated after a day in the refrigerator.

Stew

A stew that’s been simmering on the stove or in the slow cooker all day will have a winning flavor. But stew can be even more delicious the next day. The starch in the potatoes will enable the sauce of the stew — whether it’s tomatobased or comprised of a mix of brown gravy and meat drippings — to thicken.

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Meatloaf

The herbs and spices in a meatloaf continue to release their flavors, and letting the loaf sit can improve the texture and the ability to slice it without it falling apart. Consider pan-frying individual slices of meatloaf until they’re browned so they’ll be crisp on the outside and tender in the middle.

Lasagna

Lasagna is a layered pasta dish featuring flat noodle sheets, cheese, sauce, and sometimes meat like ground beef or sausage. Lasagnas that are served right out of the oven can be runny even if they taste scrumptious. Baking it and letting it sit overnight allows all of the layers to gel together, making for a much more cohesive and fortified dish the following day.

Curries

Curries are typically made with many spices that help to make the dish flavorful. A curry that is freshly made may feature intense flavor because each of its components can be tasted individually. After a night of resting in the refrigerator, those flavors meld and mellow. Furthermore, if potatoes are used in the recipe, a night in the fridge gives the potatoes an opportunity to absorb the spices, making for an even tastier meal.

Many meals can be made ahead of time for holiday dinners and will taste even better when they are served the following day.

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