The Holidays. You either love the hustle and bustle, or you count down the days until life returns to normal. The madness reaches a crescendo late in December but doesn’t fully end until the world has slept off its holiday hangover sometime after January 2.

And beyond the personal obligations, there are corporate parties and end-of-year deadlines. In our rush to celebrate, the spirit of the holidays can be easily lost. As a business owner, the holidays are a good time to take a breath, take a step back and take the opportunity to do something good – for the community, for you customers, for your employees.

Aside from the fact that giving back is just a good thing to do, there are definitely business benefits to being a good corporate citizen.

1. Build goodwill – Your customers give you their money, employees give you their time and skills and the community supports your business all year long. Giving a little something back allows people to see you as a giver rather than a taker, increases the positive buzz and makes people feel good about doing business with you. And that matters.
2. Show your passion – Community service tells people who you are and what you are passionate about. People like to do business with people who share their passions and values. Giving back provides people insight about who you are beyond what you sell. It builds your brand and gives people something positive to relate to.
3. Build loyalty and trust – When you do something good for the community, you give your clients and employees the opportunity to feel good about their association with you reinforcing good relationships, and that’s what good business is all about.
4. Make valuable community connections – When you take a walk away from your desk and into the community, you get the opportunity to see the world around you from a different perspective and meet people who may contribute to your organization in amazing ways – not just during the holidays, but for years to come.
5. Attract the best employees – When you publicly display your corporate values, good people find you. They want to be a part of what you do and join your organization. Many jobseekers today are millennials for whom community service is a lifestyle. Community giving activities help them find you.

Giving back is a gift that comes in both big and small packages. From taking up a collection of hats and mittens for a women’s shelter or providing gift baskets to the families of service men to giving your employees an extra day off or a gift certificate for dinner out, the opportunities are almost endless.

Best of all, whatever your give away always comes back in ways you may not have anticipated.