As many of you already know, this is the first Christmas that I will spend with my family and in my homeland after living overseas for the past eight years. As I am now forty three years old, I feel that anything I could need or want, I already have. Christmas, as we all know, is a season when people spend tons of money buying presents for others, which is lovely, but let’s be honest here, how many times have we been given a gift that we really didn’t want or need? Now, please don’t think that I am ungrateful for all the gifts people have given me over the years, but as I get older, I seem to need these things less and less. Recently I asked my father what we now do in my family with regards to giving Christmas gifts. He told me that, apart from the children, we no longer give gifts to each other but rather donate money to charity instead. As someone who already has just about everything he already wants, material possessions that is, I thought this is a great idea, and will help the needy as well. But for my family this is nothing new. Several years ago, my brother and sister in law, gave me a goat for my Christmas gift. I don’t actually have the goat with me as I really don’t think the dog would appreciate the competition! Rather, the goat went to a poor village in a third world country, where it is really needed and would be greatly appreciated, apart from the obvious fact that it would also provide milk, and eventually, food for many in that village.
The other day I received a few early Christmas gifts from some friends of mine who were not yet aware of my new practise of donating to charity instead of buying presents. I want to state quite clearly that I was touched and grateful for their thoughtfulness and kindness, and yes the bottle of red will be well and truly enjoyed by me. Whilst feeling slightly embarrassed by their generosity, I quickly explained my new Christmas practise to them, and thankfully I haven’t lost their friendship, I hope!
We human beings, that is, those of us lucky enough to be living in first world countries, create so much waste every day. Now I don’t want to spoil anyone’s Christmas day and celebrating because, believe me, I’ll be celebrating and overeating with the best of them. However, with all the waste we create, wouldn’t be good to perhaps try and redirect some of that to those in real need this Christmas?
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that shouldn’t those of us who already have so much be looking out for those who have so little? I love sitting down to Christmas dinner and eating all that lovely food, but what about the millions of people around the world who have no food? And of course it’s not just food that these people need. Perhaps we could give the gift of decent medical attention, and education in the ways of self sustainability so that they would no longer need to rely on our charity. Imagine that, a world where everyone has enough to eat, proper medical care, and a decent education so that the standard of living would be constantly improving, for all people. A recent survey found that many Australians would be happy to donate to charity this Christmas, rather than receiving a gift that was really of no use to them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely for people to be thoughtful enough and to take the time to buy a present for someone else. As I write this, however, I can look around my house and see so much stuff that I don’t really need; nice to have, but do I really need it? And yes, I know some of you will say to me, well Don, do you really need six hundred plus DVD, and now blu ray discs? The answer, of course, is no I don’t. So I am as guilty as the next person, however I’m not saying to give up the Christmas tradition of giving gifts, just to spare a thought for those with nothing and perhaps to direct some of your giving towards them. I, by my own reckoning, have far too much. Therefore, if all my friends and family donate to a charity the money they would have spent on a Christmas present for me, then from my point of view, that would make it the best Christmas ever.
Merry Christmas everyone, and I wish you all health and happiness in 2012! And by the way, as the name of this blog suggests, please feel free to disagree with me. Comments most welcome.
