• by Adrienne Levy , November 26, 2013

“I hope I get a harmonica, on this lovely, lovely Hanukkah."

It's officially that time of year. Holiday ads, songs, food, special promotions and deals may already be dancing through your head. Whether you are thinking about your business or your family in one of those kinds of ways, you can't help but tune into the holiday season, probably because it's just as hard to tune it out. But this year, there is one holiday you simply can't ignore.

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah occur on the same day this year -- “Thanksgivukkah,” as it has been officially dubbed, has only occurred once before in 1888, and it won't happen again for another 70,000 or so years, according to calendar experts.

The middle of this newly coined term holds an important message for brands during the holiday season -- “give.”

Both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving are holidays that encourage giving back to the community. They revolve around so much history, food, family, togetherness, and giving. Take advantage of this rare opportunity to align your brand with a cause that desperately needs help this time of year.

Giving back to the community -- either locally or on a larger level -- can help show your company in a positive light. Take to social media (#Thanksgivukkah) to encourage your audience to pitch in. Put signage around your store that shows your shoppers you care. Have schoolchildren create special crafts or serve some combo holiday food items to customer getting an early start to their shopping.

If you don't want to wait until Thanksgivukkah to give back, start your giving today. #GivingTuesday is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season.

You can even encourage audiences to give back at home. Make the tzedakah (charity) box the centerpiece on the table, and invite guests to give -- a quarter, a dollar, or more -- to a collective tzedakah pool. Over dessert, ask each guest to suggest an organization or cause to support and give a 60-second pitch explaining why it's important.

Holidays offer opportunities to make a long-term commitment to philanthropy by setting out a course, an example, for the kind of giving your company is passionate about. Cause marketing is always relevant, but special holidays can be a great time to step into the spirit.

Have a happy, happy, happy, happy ThansGIVukkah!”