Make Christmas cards for everyone on your list. Look, you do not need to spend your hard earned cash on Hallmark greeting cards. Why pay a company to produce some vague (and often cheesy) sentiment when you can do it far more honestly and cost-effectively yourself? Be creative, personalise them, and make them tools for witness and blessing. People will appreciate the effort you make.

Write a new Christmas carol. Seriously, these things need updating. Actually, some of the old Christian carols are extremely beautiful, but they are unknown to most non-church-going youth today. So write down what you believe Christmas is all about (if it rhymes, so much the better), and share it with a friend. Who knows? It might become a hit. And then we can finally retire Frosty the Snowman.

Buy a pig. Yes, your little brother may want a new slim-line PS2, but thousands of families living in poverty around the world need pigs. There is a movement ongoing now through organisations like The Salvation Army and World Vision to use Christmas as a time to give needed presents to families on the brink of starvation. Spend some of your Christmas budget on a family in need, or maybe even ask someone to buy a pig for a family instead of buying you a present this year.(Check out www.salvationarmy.org.uk/en/Departments/InternationalDevelopment/Animals.htm for more info).

Check out a Midnight Mass. This is the Christian celebration that happens around midnight on the 24th of December. Look for a big, old Church building in your area, and chances are they will be hosting just such an event (your own Church might do something similar as well). Yes, it is late at night, and yes, they may use some dodgy smelling incense, and yes, there may even be some Latin involved, but you will have your eyes opened to an ancient form a Christian worship that a lot of people take part in even if they never approach Church the rest of the year.

Visit a farm. There is actually no mention in Scripture of animals being present at the birth of Christ, but it is likely that there were some around, given that Jesus’ first bed doubled as their food trough. So go see some donkeys, cows, sheep and camels (if you can find any). Take a good whiff. Reflect on the fact that Jesus was born in the midst of smelly animals, not Kings and Queens. Take home a little straw with you as a reminder that Jesus really did come and make his dwelling amongst us, in the dirt and muck of the world.

Research the origins of Santa Claus. The traditional story behind the real Saint Nicholas is actually pretty cool. See if you can discover how St. Nick goes from a generous saint to a culturally iconic magic red-fur wearing elf with a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer (via Coca-Cola).

Get a present for someone you really don’t get along with. And not some gag-gift like fake dog poo that actually shows how much you dislike the person either. Find out what they would really like, and get it for them. Romans 12:20-21 says, “‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good.” So not only are you obeying Scripture by blessing your enemy, you are actually dumping burning coals of niceness on their heads as well! Win-Win situation!

Organise a huge snowball fight in your neighbourhood. If you live in a part of the world that is not blessed with snow, then organise a huge mudball fight in your neighbourhood. You have to make do with the materials at hand.