125 Kind things to do
for yourself, your community, and the environment
In honor of our 125th anniversary year,
we’ve compiled a list of 125 acts of kindness you can do this holiday season.
1
Take a deep breath.
2
Pick up a book from a QPL branch and read your favorite passage to someone (people, pets, and plants included).
3
Take a long walk around your neighborhood to discover something you never knew was there.
4
Say hello to your neighbors when you walk by them on the street.
5
Give a mug with tea bags or cocoa mix to your best friend or favorite coworker.
6
Do you have a favorite QPL program? Let the world know by spreading the word on your social media!
7
Pick up a piece of trash in a public space.
8
Get in touch with someone from your past to say thanks (first-grade teacher? favorite librarian?).
9
Give someone a smile.
10
Write down three things you like about yourself.
11
Using QPL's notes of appreciation booklet, write a note of thanks to someone in your life that truly deserves it.
12
Offer to do a chore for a friend or neighbor in need.
13
Give someone a compliment.
14
Do your part in making the digital space respectful and truthful.
15
Lead by example by choosing kindness in your day-to-day life.
16
Flood your social media with kindness.
17
Offer some of your time to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
18
Hold your library's door open for someone coming in after you.
19
If you can, give blood to your local blood bank.
20
Keep an eye on everyone else, and if they look like they need help, give it to them.
21
Let the manager of a store know of their employee's excellent service.
22
Call a friend or a family member you haven't spoken to recently.
23
Share a good laugh or a good cry with someone who needs it.
24
Let someone go first before you in a line.
25
Ask for help when you need it.
26
Recycle.
27
Plant a tree.
28
Offer your spare time to your local community garden.
29
Speak up when you normally wouldn't.
30
Forgive someone else.
31
Forgive yourself.
32
Borrow a DVD from your local branch and watch it with a friend.
33
Learn about your neighbor's culture by asking your local librarian for a book advisory.
34
Write a letter to your local representative to support a worthy cause.
35
Vote.
36
Be socially and politically active.
37
Think hard before you send a negative email.
38
Say sorry and mean it.
39
Leave the car at home and walk.
40
Have a fresh fruit.
41
Really stop and smell the roses.
42
Give yourself a break.
43
Become a mentor.
44
Organize a watch party for your favorite TV show.
45
Take the time to listen to someone.
46
Learn a new skill at a QPL tech workshop. Pass this knowledge on to your friends and neighbors.
47
Help your parents or elderly friends and neighbors figure out their computer problems.
48
Return books to your library (there are no late fines anymore!)
49
Find out more about your family history by talking with relatives.
50
Note your friends' and family members' birthdays and wish them well on their special day.
51
Write a poem.
52
Be polite on the road.
53
Give people the benefit of the doubt.
54
Be tolerant.
55
Embrace diversity.
56
Offer encouragement to someone going through a tough time.
57
Prepare a homecooked meal for a friend or neighbor in need.
58
Leave a positive online review for a local business.
59
Support local businesses.
60
Return a shopping cart to its place.
61
Share your umbrella.
62
Use less plastic.
63
Use your own mug when buying a beverage.
64
Do a 5K walk or run for a good cause.
65
Tell the people you love how you feel about them.
66
Make a handmade gift for someone you care about.
67
Stretch.
68
Instead of a text, send someone an actual postcard through the mail.
69
Send a thank-you note after you receive an act of kindness.
70
Establish a "no complaints" day.
71
Give up your seat on the bus to another person.
72
Make a hot beverage and offer it to someone you care for on a cold day.
73
Volunteer for your local community-based organization.
74
Take time to appreciate the sunset and sunrise.
75
Rise early and appreciate the quietness of a sleeping household.
76
Organize an "appreciation day" and celebrate the important people in your life.
77
Offer to give a colleague a ride home.
78
If you have the means, donate to charity.
79
Pay a friend or neighbor who lives alone a visit.
80
Do a chore in the house without being asked.
81
Write a letter of encouragement to serving soldiers or veterans.
82
Post a thank you sign for your local first responders.
83
Put together a care package for a person in need.
84
Organize a fundraiser for your local homeless shelter.
85
Be the change you want to see in the world.
86
Learn something new.
87
Check out a book from QPL's It's Time For Kind Booklist.
88
Turn that frown upside down by avoiding negative self-talk.
89
Take the bus, carpool, walk or bike to work when possible.
90
Give someone a "just because" gift.
91
Check-in with an elderly or ailing family member, friend or neighbor.
92
Try a dish from an ethnic cuisine you never tried before.
93
Leave a book at the Little Free Library in your neighborhood.
94
Bring someone to your favorite QPL branch and encourage them to get a library card.
95
Ask someone in need if you can help them and follow through to do so.
96
Save water by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth, and washing full loads.
97
Surround yourself with people who believe in you.
98
Embrace the outdoors.
99
Remember to turn off electronic appliances when not in use to preserve energy.
100
Give someone a small potted flower with instructions on how to take care of it.
101
Enjoy nature as much as possible by yourself or with friends.
102
Make sure to ask yourself daily, "Who have I helped today?" and "Who helped me today?"
103
Keep a gratitude journal - what are you grateful for today?
104
Offer to pick up groceries for an ailing friend or neighbor.
105
Pick up a book about the environment and "green up" your daily habits.
106
Save the bees by planting a wildflower window box.
107
Tell someone you believe in them.
108
Share your favorite family recipe with a friend or neighbor.
109
Inspire others by sharing an act of kindness you are proud of doing.
110
Offer to help an elderly or disabled neighbor who may be physically unable to recycle.
111
Practice reduce/reuse/recycle.
112
Volunteer at your local library.
113
If you received an act of kindness, pay it forward.
114
Reduce your carbon footprint by turning down your thermostat.
115
Make a list of all the people you are thankful to know.
116
Bring your own utensils to work so that you won't need single-use plastic ones.
117
Eliminate single-use plastics from your day-to-day life as much as possible.
118
Allow people to complete their thoughts. Don't interrupt when someone is talking.
119
Text someone to let them know you are thinking of them.
120
Help others find the silver lining in a challenging situation.
121
Think before you speak. Hurtful words, once said, can never be taken back.
122
Return something you borrowed after using it.
123
Celebrate other people's achievements.
124
Allow someone to help you. Letting someone be kind is one of the acts of kindness itself.
125
Give someone a chance. Sometimes all it takes is an opportunity for someone to make their big break.
