It’s December, which means you are probably dividing most of your time between cramming for finals and counting the days until winter break. And while most of us are looking forward to seeing our family and friends, eating a month’s worth of homemade, non-Sodexo food and having our holiday wish lists fulfilled, it’s easy to forget that this is the time of year to give back.

In the age of YouTube and Twitter, there are more ways to give back than just by helping out at your local soup kitchen, and, many times, helping out with great causes can be just a click away. So instead of obsessively checking Facebook this week while you study for your Macro final, take some time to procrastinate with these charitable distractions.

Go on YouTube

If you are an aspiring Binghamtonic or just enjoy belting Celine Dion in the shower when you think your suitemates can’t hear, this is the perfect way to put your musical ambitions toward a good cause. Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and the cast of “Glee” have come together to present the YouTube Carol-oke Contest. At www.youtube.com/jointhecarolers, you can listen to two original Christmas carols and then upload a video singing your own version. For each video that is uploaded, the stores will donate $1 to Toys for Tots, a charity that provides toys to needy children during the holiday season. The person with the best video will receive a $5,000 shopping spree and 15 runners-up will receive $100 gift cards.

Play Your Xbox

This December, the more people that play “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” on Xbox LIVE, the more money will be donated to War Child, a charity that helps to rebuild the lives of thousands of children in the world’s most war-torn areas. Known as the “Game for Good” campaign, the money donated to War Child will help to rebuild schools destroyed by warfare, reunite child-soldiers with their families and provide homes for children displaced by conflict.

Text!

This holiday season, celebrities are encouraging young people to use their texting addiction for a good cause. Alicia Keys, who is actively involved with Keep a Child Alive, a charity that works to save the lives of children affected by AIDS/HIV in Africa, is encouraging the public to text the word “ALIVE” to 90999. By sending this text, you donate $5 to the movement and ensure that more children have access to life-saving AIDS drugs. Similarly, comedian Ben Stiller, who is involved with the charity Save the Children, has created the STILLERSTRONG campaign. By texting STILLER to 85944, you can donate $5 to the cause. The money raised with STILLERSTRONG will help build classrooms, provide school supplies and clean drinking water and employ teachers at a school in Ceverine, Haiti. For more information on how to get involved with these causes, go to www.keepachildalive.org and www.stillerstrong.org.

Surf the Web

www.FreePoverty.com is an interactive Web site that allows you to donate water to poverty-stricken countries simply by playing a game. The game, which tests your knowledge of geography, asks timed questions that require you to locate landmarks and countries on a world map. The closer you are to the country, the more cups of water are donated to an impoverished nation.

Update Your iTunes

Jack Johnson recently released “En Concert,” an exclusive live album that chronicles his 2008 “Sleep Through the Static” world tour. All the proceeds from “En Concert” will be donated to the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which supports environmental education in the communities of Hawaii, and the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation, which matches fans’ donations to local Hawaii charities.