Give to Needy Children This Christmas

Everybody is feeling the hurt from the failing economy. Some of us may only have to cut back on splurges like going out to eat, not buying those high priced stilettos, or cutting back our nail appointments. Others in this country are facing bigger struggles such as cutting their grocery bills in half just to get by.

This Christmas we are going to see more and more families that cannot afford some of the comforts that we take for granted. Every year you probably spend more than you planned on gifts for family, friends, and co-workers. You see something nice and your immediate response is to buy it for Uncle Fred.

While we are so wrapped up in Christmas shopping for family, friends, and co-workers we forget about others who can't even afford to buy for their kids this Christmas. Here we are concerned about Uncle Fred who has everything.

We shouldn't feel guilty about the things we can afford, but, maybe we should feel some compassion towards those who can't. The stereotype that all poor people are lazy is now, more than ever, proving not to be true.

The unemployment rate is rising with each passing day. Families that once were contributing members of society are being laid off in record numbers. Unemployment benefits are only about 60% or the workers normal pay and they only last for so long. Many families are trying to survive on a fraction of what their paychecks used to be. This is incredibly hard to do for many families that were already living paycheck to paycheck.

Below are some ways that you can make a difference in the life of a needy family or person this Christmas. Not everyone will be able to afford to help, that is understandable. The economy is hurting everyone right now. But, if you are able to give, it would be so nice if you would.

Most communities have the Angel Tree Program. What this program does is provides needy kids with presents. The program does this by placing little paper cut outs of boys and girls on a Christmas tree. You can usually find these Angel Tree's at Wal-Mart of the court house. You take an Angel off of the tree and it will have the child's first name, age, and wish list for Christmas. You then go purchase some gifts for the child and return the gifts back to where you picked out the paper angel or to wherever you are directed to go. If not for you buying these gifts, the children will not receive presents this year. This is also a great gift idea for that hard to buy for relative. Instead of getting them a gift that you know they won't like or use, you could give them the paper Angel and tell them that you bought a needy child Christmas this year in their honor. If you did this for several of your family members, many children would have a nice Christmas this year.

Not every community has the Angel Tree. Some communities have other programs similar to it that you could get involved with. A simple internet search will probably tell you what programs are available. Otherwise the local library could probably point you in the right direction or a local charity may have information.

Some other ideas are programs developed for children of incarcerated parents. Remember, you are giving to the child, not the inmate. This may convince you to give to the kids. It is not the child's fault that their parent is incarcerated and they deserve to have a nice Christmas as well.

Another option is to donate to the local retirement home or nursing center. You can even donate time. Time doesn't cost anything. Our elderly are often left alone on Christmas and the nursing staff can only do so much in the way of providing emotional support during the holiday season. Visiting with the elderly would be such a nice thing to do this year. If you could have your children draw Christmas cards that would be even better. If you are a member of a church or other civic program you all could go to the home and sing carols for the senior citizen residents. It may not seem like much, but, the residents of these homes look forward to visitors like this every year.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of giving and good cheer. I hope each of you that are able will consider giving what you can to the needy this Christmas. The tradition in my household is to give each adult relative a paper Angel from the Angel Tree with a note of what presents were given in their honor. Often times the wish the child has is for something as simple as a coat. Of course, in my family we not only get a coat, but also a few toys as well. And, for those that asked for toys, we get them toys buy also some warm sweaters. The parents of these kids are not asking for hand outs from us, they simply want their kids to have a nice Christmas that would otherwise be impossible if not for the kind acts of strangers that are able to afford the things that these parents cannot.