World Kindness Day takes place every year on November 13th. If you weren’t previously aware of this holiday, it’s time you get acquainted! This international holiday was started back in 1998 and is celebrated not only in the United States but also countries like Australia, Italy, Canada, India and Japan (to name a few). Its goal is to unite people of all walks of life through one common human trait: kindness. In a year that has been full of challenges, I would love to see our community celebrate this day through acts of kindness both big and small. To help accomplish this goal, I’ve put together a list of 25 acts of kindness that you can do today. They are completely free and, best of all, they can be done even while socially distancing. I hope you will find at least one idea on this list that will inspire you to participate.

1. Give a compliment for no reason.
2. When you buy something on Amazon, use Amazon Smiles and contribute to your favorite charity.
3. Listen to someone who is feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
4. Tell a corny joke and make someone laugh.
5. Send someone a text and let them know you’re thinking about them.
6. Make a handmade card for a child in hospital or a senior in a home and send it through CardzForKidz.
7. Reply to a post you enjoyed on social media.
8. Write a positive review online for your favorite local business.
9. Clean your room. (This is an act of kindness for yourself!)
10. Wave or say hello to someone you pass on the street.
11. Donate a book to a Little Free library.
12. Pick up a piece of litter on the street and throw it away.
13. Write a thank you note to your mail carrier.
14. Spread positivity – for a whole day, refrain from saying anything negative
15. On trash day, bring your neighbors’ trashcans in.
16. Make a music playlist for someone.
17. Reconnect with an old friend.
18. Call and spend time talking with an elderly family member or friend.
19. Write down a list of things you love about someone and give it to them.
20. Leave a positive note in a library book.
21. Return a stray cart (or your own) at the grocery store.
22. Forgive someone who wronged you in the past.
23. Place a happy or positive sign in your front yard.
24. Say “please” and “thank you”—and really mean it.
25. Put your phone away when in the company of others and be present.

If you are feeling even more ambitious, and want to keep the kindness going past today, check out one of these books from our library. These will help make World Kindness Day a holiday you can celebrate all year long.