Here are five easy - but meaningful - ideas on how you can spread some holiday joy and make a difference this holiday season.

1) Ask your parents for a goat this holiday season. Or two chickens. Or five ducks, some clean water tablets, or a bag of seeds. After they get over their confusion about having two chickens strutting around the house, explain that you’re actually talking about World Vision. The goat, the chickens and the rest will support a needy family with food and a source of income. For more information and gift ideas, check out the World Vision Gift Catalog at www.worldvisiongifts.org.

2) Join the Marines … in a toy drive. Launch a toy drive in your neighborhood to benefit the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots. Every year, the Marines deliver presents to American kids whose families can’t afford Christmas gifts. Distribute a flier to let your neighbors know about your Toys for Tots drive and suggest some toy ideas. You can grab some images to brighten your flier on the Toys for Tots web site. After you’ve collected toys, deliver your presents to a local Toys for Tots Drop Location, found on www.toysfortots.org.

3) Go shopping! If you’re planning to shop online this Christmas through iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, GAP, Target, Walmart, Macy’s and many more online stores, then you can give money to worthy causes just by shopping. Really. By using GoodSearch.com, any online store you buy from will donate a percentage of your purchase price to the organization of your choice. Some worthy organizations participating include World Vision, Feed My Starving Children, Invisible Children, Samaritan’s Purse and Compassion International. eBay is one of the biggest donors—they give between 25 to 37.5 percent of your purchase price. To use this service, go to the GoodShop page, enter the organization you’d like to help and select your store. It’s that easy.

4) Get rid of the extra change. With Feed My Starving Children—a humanitarian organization that sends nutritious meals to third-world countries—a little money goes a very long way. Just fifteen cents provides a meal for a starving kid. In fact, one child can get one meal a day for an entire year for only $55. If you have a little extra change, consider donating it to put food in the stomach of a starving child.

5) Donate in a friend’s honor. Give your friends UNICEF-Inspired Gifts—education, immunization, water, nutrition, HIV/AIDS care, or emergency help—to benefit the world’s neediest. Some cool gifts you’ll want to check out are high energy/protein biscuits, therapeutic milk, mosquito nets, measles vaccinations, bikes, and wool blankets. Check it out at inspiredgifts.unicefusa.org.

A version of this article previously appeared on IgniteYourFaith.com.

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