Christmas shopping brings out the dealmaker in all of us, as we shift through our options and attempt to find the best price. Every year, we spend a lot of money during the holiday season so adding a splash of frugality to our shopping only makes sense.

But in our efforts to find the biggest bang for our buck, often we overlook where that can be found. The biggest bang for our buck, the most return on our investment, comes not from getting a deal, not from beating the local store’s price by shopping online, not by researching until we find that big screen TV for $25 less than its list price at another store.

No, the biggest bang for our buck comes from simply dropping it, opening a hand and letting that money go. It comes from giving.

Whether that giving is a few dollars stuffed into a Salvation Army bucket or a large check written out to a charitable organization, it makes no difference. Whether it means adding up the cost of your Christmas meal and donating the same to a food pantry, like Eagle’s Wings, or loading up a Toys for Tots box at a local drop-off location, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we give — and give with no expectation of anything in return.

The best Christmas gift of all is one we can give ourselves: the gift of knowing that we care enough to make a difference in someone’s life.