As the days grow shorter and yard décor changes from skeletons and ghosts to signs reading “thankful and blessed” intertwined with evergreen garland and pumpkins, a familiar shift begins. The spirit of seasonal giving settles into the community this time each year — whether expressed through a formal donation or a child dropping spare change into a red kettle. My question is: How can we make generosity a habit instead of a holiday checkbox? 

The greater central Illinois community certainly doesn’t lack generosity. Currently, I see great people organizing support in all kinds of ways on social media — especially centered around food and food banks. Nonprofit organizations quietly share the same challenge every year. The calendar year turns over, the decorations go back into storage and the surge of goodwill recedes. Yet January, February and March are still hungry months, still cold months and still months when the need is persistent. 

So this holiday season, let’s usher in a “recipe” for moving beyond good intentions and into meaningful action. While I am certainly partial to making sure food is available to those in need, here are some points to consider as you and loved ones mobilize ways to make giving not just financial, but also relational. 

• What matters most to me? Whether that’s food insecurity, animal welfare, the arts, mental health or veterans’ support, focused giving creates impact.
• How can I give in a way that lasts beyond December? A recurring gift, even if it’s only $5 a month, helps organizations plan instead of panic.
• What skills do I have to offer besides money? Time, experience, connections, transportation or even simply showing up can often be equally valuable.
• How can I involve someone else? Shared giving multiplies the reward as it counts as not only charitable but also as quality time. Bring a child, invite a friend, suggest a workplace challenge or turn a family outing into a volunteer shift. 

While the season of giving may start with a date on a calendar, it doesn’t have to end when the bow comes off the last present. People who give consistently often say they receive more than they give — not in dollars, but in connection, purpose and perspective. Generosity is less like a holiday tradition and more like a muscle — exercised, sustained and strengthened over time. 

So, whether you’re dropping off canned goods, sponsoring a family, giving to a church or even joining Lincoln Land Community College Foundation for its annual Giving Day on Nov. 14, your generosity can stretch beyond the holidays and help shape the kind of community we all want to live in — and that’s worth celebrating! 

When you have finalized your plans for ongoing giving, raise a toast with the holiday cocktail below to celebrate your commitment to generosity. Just as we swap out the traditional summertime Campari spritz for a bit of Winter Fizz, so too can our spirit of giving shift into lasting involvement. 

The Central Illinois Foodbank has information on ways to get involved at centralilfoodbank.org/give-help/volunteer. 

For more information about the LLCC Foundation’s Giving Day, please visit llccfoundation.org/giving-day. 

Winter fizz cocktail recipe 

Items to get ready/buy: 

• Large globe wine glass
• Ice
• Rosemary sprig
• Prosecco
• Raspberry liqueur (such as Mathilde Framboise Liqueur)
• Date syrup (makes enough for 4-6 cocktails) 

To make date syrup: 

(Yield: approximately 6 oz. of syrup, makes enough for 4-6 cocktails) 

• 8 oz. water
• 2 tablespoons date preserves
• Boil gently for 5-7 minutes, whisking periodically 

Winter fizz directions: 

1. Half fill wine glass with ice.
2. Add 1 oz. raspberry liqueur and 1 oz. date syrup. Then add 4-6 oz. prosecco (depending on desired level of sweetness).
3. Stir slightly.
4. “Clap” 1 small sprig of rosemary before garnishing the drink in order to gently crush its cell walls and release its aromatic, flavorful essential oils.

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.