Sharing Some Christmas Cheer
27 Oct 2013 3 Comments
in Healthy Habits, JoyFULL Tags: donating to a worth cause, helping others, helping those less forunate at Chrismas time, making a difference, sharing your wealth, Unicef
Even though the shops are filled with Christmas goodies, I tend to bury my head in the sand and pretend it is not happening!
Then my annual reminder arrives on the newstand, and I cannot resist!
For some strange reason, this is my trigger!
All the gorgeous recipies, fabulous crafts and tantalising pictures flips the Christmas switch and the planning starts in earnest.
My family will be sharing another wonderful Christmas together with awesome food, pressies, decorations and a glass of wine or two. Blessed to still have both of my parents alive and well, we really enjoy our time together.
When my teens were little, Christmas only meant one thing to them, presents!
They would devour the toy catalogues and make lists of everything they desired. They never got everything on their list, as that was beyond the family budget, and I also didn’t want my kids thinking they would get anything they desired as no doubt their lists would have been long enough to wrap around the house.
From an early age, I have tried to instill in them that there is lot’s of people that will not be able to share all the
Christmas goodness as they simply cannot afford it. There will be people that will be lucky if they get a meal, let alone a pressie from ‘Santa’.
I have made it a habit to teach them about sharing. Whilst we are not a family of magnificent wealth, we can find some to share with others.
Both girls would help me select a present to put under the Kmart wishing tree, so that there would be two less children who would not be missing out on a present. In November, every year the girls have to have a decluttering session and every item that is in good condition would be donated to a local charity. We have a charity collection tin in our kitchen for all our loose change. It is collected every 3 months and new one is dropped off. It is sealed so the cash inside is safe from joining the tuck shop que.
And whilst I am busy making lists, and figuring out what to cook, what to buy and how to get it all done, this appears on my facebook wall……..
This feels a little like a stab in the heart, a wave of guilt joins the party, and my planning gets put on hold temporarily.
Compared to a huge amount of the worlds population, we live like Kings.
We have a roof over our heads, comfy beds, fresh water, dinner is on the table every night, an abundance of clothes to pick from, the internet, mobile phones and sooooo much more.
Whilst I would love to be able to stop world poverty now, that is impossible for one Brissie mum to manage on her own.
BUT if every Aussie mum, could give up just a little of their Christmas cheer and visit Unicef we have the ability to be Santa this year and make a huge difference to children overseas who have nothing. One person cannot change the world, but lot’s of Aussie mums that make a conribuion, no matter what the size, creates a huge positive ripple effect!
Your family won’t even notice a difference, they will still have an awesome day, but you will know that somewhere on other side of this world, for at least one family, their life gets a little better.
“Lot’s of tiny whispers, make a loud noise” 🙂
Sharing for #IBOT with Essentially Jess
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