Growing up, I never wanted for anything. Every day I got up in the morning, put on clean clothes, put on good shoes, got driven to school by my mom, had a home made lunch, got picked up from school by my mom and then taken to skating lessons multiple times a week by my mom. Home cooked meals every night and a family dinner around the dinner table. Skating lessons, skating trips across the country, family vacations to Disneyland, Hawaii and across the country. Getting closer to my point, every year at Christmas there were always presents under the tree. I usually got everything I wanted on my list whether I needed it or not. There was always a big Christmas breakfast, and a huge Christmas dinner with the whole family. There was never any indication to me that there was any other way one might have a Christmas.
As I got older and started to become a little more aware of the world around me, I started to realize that I was really really naive, and extremely fortunate. I have always volunteered (for just about everything one could ever ask one to do). Teaching skating, volunteering at the hospital, events where extra crew were needed, if you ask I will most likely do, and for many years now I have been getting more and more involved with Santa's Anonymous.
For those of you who might not know, Santa's Anonymous (Santa's as we usually refer to it as) is a non-profit organization that gets together to provide family's that find themselves in need around the Holiday season with a Christmas hamper and presents for the kids. Families put in a request to Santa's, and the (amazing) volunteers get together and put the items that the children want for gifts on the back of paper bears. These bears go to the mall and people at the mall can pick a bear, go and get the gift, donate it to Santa's where the (extraordinary) volunteers then match the present with the family, wrap it, label it and get it to the family along with a food hamper.
This is a huge undertaking. These volunteers? They are just that, they are volunteers, they do not get paid and they do everything they do because they want to help. Most of them have other jobs that they do from 9-5, then they volunteer in the malls helping with the bears, or at the "workshop" wrapping presents and building hampers (ya not easy might I add). I have so much respect for these people that take this on because I think how selfless they are is truly amazing.
This is the time of year where things start to get busy and hectic. Time is tight, money is tight, everything comes down to the wire, and I get that. This is the time of year where everyone is busy, everyone has one event or another to run off to.
This year, I know for a great many people has not been an easy one. The economy is in the tank, and jobs are hard to come by. And that is why this year more than ever I am eager to give back just as much as I can.
I had dinner with my parents and their friends tonight (I'm a mooch and a geek and I love it..) and we got talking about all the scandals you keep hearing about people ripping off charities, thinking they can take advantage and make a quick buck, or how charities in general operate but not to the advantage of the local community. We also got talking about how now that the economy has been so rough that people are giving less, and fewer people are volunteering. After all this talk my stomach started to hurt.
There is so much bad in the world, and so many terrible things going on, yet so few people are willing to help out. So I put it to all of you (the very few who stumble upon my blog...) who have jobs, and food for proper meals, and time to spend with family and friends. Those that, like me have always been fortunate enough to have all they have ever needed, find the time to really give back this Holiday season. Donate some cans of food. Instead of your triple expresso caramel latte with extra sprinkles, skip the coffee and dump the change in the food bank donation bin (or if you really must, get the regular drip, its half the price). Take the time to enjoy the fact that you as a human being can show compassion to another human being.
If moneys tight (I know mine is) donate your time. And don't feed me that crap about "I have kids and we have no spare time"....because that's CRAP. Take them with you. Teach them the importance of what it is to be human, because lets face it. The more and more things turn to crap, the more we all need to lean on each other, and the more we learn that we can be there for each other and not want anything in return, is really what makes this the most wonderful time of the year.
Being able to appreciate what you have, and those you have around you, while helping out fellow man is the most amazing gift you can give to yourself. Its what I give myself every year, and what my parents have given to me my whole life. Giving really is the best gift, and I challenge any of you to prove me other wise :)
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