You always hear about the “Christmas spirit” during the holidays. Everyone is supposed to be happier and in a more giving mood than the other months out of the year. At least, that’s what you hear … what you see is another matter!
Fights in the aisles at toy stores, drivers cussing each other out over parking spaces, a higher theft rate, and on and on the list goes. What precisely is so cheery about all of that?
The holiday season should be a time when we remember those less fortunate than ourselves. Drop some change in the Salvation Army’s bucket, donate some money to the local fire department, give an unwrapped toy to Toys For Tots .. there are a hundred different ways that you can share the Christmas spirit with someone who doesn’t have anything – and it doesn’t have to cost you a lot of money!
For instance, my aunt is a special ed teacher in a poor neighborhood. She has a little girl in her class that hasn’t been able to afford a nice dress – ever! My daughter had a pretty pink velvet Disney princess dress that she wore a handful of times last year. It no longer fit her and she asked what we could do with it. I called my aunt and as luck would have it, it was the little girl’s size. When my aunt gave the dress to the girl in her classroom, she said her eyes lit up with excitement. She just had to try the dress on immediately! She wanted to parade around the room and around the school to show it off! Without having to spend a penny, my daughter was able to make that little girl’s day! We also donated my son’s winter coat (which he only wore for 1 month since the little stinker grew so fast!) to a boy in my aunt’s class who has never had a warm winter coat before.
As you’re cleaning out your closets and kids toys to prepare for Santa, why not take a moment to contact the local women’s shelter, a community center in a not so great part of town, or a local church and see if they will take the items to give to families who not only need them, but who will love them.
Touch someone’s life … I think you’ll find that it will also touch yours!