Spreading Joy, Kindness, and Hope
Christmas is a time of celebration, togetherness, and joy. Yet for many, the festive season can also be a time of loneliness, anxiety, and financial struggle. That’s why Love Christmas recently returned for its fifth year, and we are so grateful to all of you who participated in this year’s heart-warming campaign.
A Growing Movement of Generosity
The impact of Love Christmas has grown significantly over the years. This year 1,200 churches and other organisations across the UK came together to take part - rallying 7,200 volunteers, as well as donors, schools, and local businesses - to make a real difference.
Overall, 94,000 Bags of Kindness were packed and delivered, each one carrying not just festive items but also a message of love and hope. Churches also shared love and generosity with their communities in other creative ways including setting up Christmas grottos for parents to choose free gifts for their children, delivering Christmas lunches to those in need, and more.
“This beautiful bunch of people have been a lifeline at a difficult time of year for me and my family - I will be forever grateful.”
A Campaign Built on Love and Community
We’ve been so moved to hear the wonderful encouragements from churches across the UK of individuals who’ve been impacted this year. From small villages to busy towns and cities, communities came together to spread kindness. Volunteers young and old experienced the joy of giving, while recipients were reminded that they are not alone and that their community cares.
“We do a Christmas party at our Lighthouse project for our local community and this year it was the biggest one we've ever done… at the end everybody gets given a Love Christmas box of kindness and one boy told us he waited until Christmas Day to open it… he told us it was the only present that he got. That was a really special moment. “
Why It Matters
In a world where many face daily struggles, small acts of kindness can have a lasting impact. For someone who is lonely, receiving a Bag of Kindness can be a powerful reminder that they are seen and valued.
For families experiencing financial difficulties, it can ease the burden and bring a moment of festive cheer, as we heard from one family who engaged with their local food bank at Lisburn City Church,
“We knew we weren't going to be able to afford to get presents for the kids this Christmas... and all of a sudden, we're sitting on Christmas Day and we had some presents for our kids, we had food to make Christmas dinner, and we had the sweets, the chocolates... and It's amazing because we thought we were going to have nothing, and that connection changed everything.”
And for volunteers, it offers a chance to make a tangible difference in the lives of their neighbours, as St Peter’s RC Church in Gateshead expressed,
“It’s the givers as well as the recipients who benefit so much from this. Because at the end of the day we all need each other.”
Love and Hope All Year Round
By engaging with local communities, churches often find that connections made can help build a culture of care and support that lasts all year round. Easterhouse Baptist Church in Glasgow were amazed to see the response from their local community,
“We always put a wee leaflet in the Bags of Kindness about the warm spaces in the church, and the Christmas events... At our Christmas Eve watch night service we had so many of the community come in - it was just amazing. And it was all because they had had a Love Christmas bag.”
Love Christmas is all about bringing communities together to share kindness and love. We hope that the connections churches and others have made this Christmas will go on to flourish throughout the coming year, and the impact would last longer, and spread more widely, than we could hope for or imagine!
If you’d like to give to the work of Love Your Neighbour which helps to support churches serving their communities throughout the year, please click here.
