Giving back to the community is undoubtedly an important part of the holidays, but that doesn’t mean common good outside of the holidays should be neglected. Community service comes in all forms: volunteering your time, donating money to charity, etc. There is a natural connection between giving back and the holidays, but this doesn’t have to be the only time of year to get involved.  Community service is too often focused on the holiday season, and ignored for the rest of the year. No one necessarily has an obligation to perform community service, but everyone should partake in it if they have the opportunity, whether it’s the holiday season or not. 

About 34 percent of all charitable giving is done in the last three months of the year, according to director of product management for Blackbaud, Steve MacLauglin.

While it is great that there is an increasing number of people giving back towards the end of year, it would be ideal if citizens would understand the importance of giving back during the off-season as well.