by Rachel Barter ’27 on December 11, 2025
Opinion - Campus
This holiday season, I want to remind everyone of the importance of visiting with your grandparents and older relatives. For a retired person, the holidays can either be a time of longing for company or being connected and supported by loved ones—especially ones they may not see often. We all have the ability to make sure our older relatives feel extra love and appreciation during the holiday season.
Although your presence and company are certainly enough to show your love to your relatives, we can be inspired by the holiday season to do more for them when we have the time off from college. You do not need to buy your grandparents or great aunts and uncles extravagant gifts, but you can offer acts of service which show your love and appreciation while also taking the weight off of your grandparents.
For instance, this past weekend, I was inspired to help my friends’ grandparents bring up all of their Christmas decorations from the basement and decorate their house for the holiday season. Not only did we show our appreciation and gratefulness for them by taking our own time off from studying, but we helped them decorate for Christmas which took something off their to-do list and prevented them from having to complete any strenuous tasks that could affect their health.
I want to inspire you to do the same, not just for your own grandparents, but perhaps your neighbors or even your parents. No matter the age of the person you are helping or whether they would have been able to complete the task without your help, it shows your love for them and alleviates stress, especially during the busy holiday season.
In general, acts of service are important and accessible ways that we can express our love and kindness to everyone, including strangers. At Providence College, we pride ourselves on holding doors for others (an act of service); I implore you to extend your acts of service when you go home for the holidays and when you come back to campus in the spring.
After all, Christmas and the holiday season is the perfect time to remind ourselves of the love and kindness we should be showing others throughout the entire year, and perhaps we can start with acts of service.