Christmas is known as a time for giving, for spending time with your friends and family. Love it or hate it, it’s what most people will be doing: settling down on December 24th in front of a classic film with a mug of hot chocolate (or a shandy, if you prefer) surrounded by your vaguely senile grandmother and your loud younger cousins wanting to open “just one present!” a day too early. But what about those who haven’t got a family to spend time with? Those who don’t have a TV and a sofa to watch Home Alone? Those who don’t even have a home to be alone in?
If you talk to someone without a home, they will often tell you that they receive more in the festive season. With eight thousand people on the streets of London alone, it’s hard to leave the house without meeting someone asking for some change. In the festive spirit, perhaps you’re more inclined to help out.
Gift giving is meant to be selfless. It’s meant to be an act of love. But if you talk to someone without a home, they may tell you that they feel embarrassed. I found a notepad on the floor the other day and picked it up with intention of finding a phone number or a home address to return it. Instead, I found a page simply entitled “Christmas Guilt” realizing then that this was the same notepad I watched a man scribble on earlier, dressed in only a thin coat, old jeans, and a blanket. He didn’t think Christmas giving was selfless. He didn’t think it was caring. He was angry. He felt it was guilt. That we, as anyone with food in the cupboard and a roof over our heads, give more because we pity them. And that got me thinking.
And that got me thinking.
What do you do when you walk past someone begging for change? You probably rummage around in your pockets, straight up apologize for not having any change or keep a hard face and pretend you didn’t notice (by the way, they know you noticed). But at Christmas (and I admit to being guilty of this), there’s that subconscious feeling of having more, and it’s a disgusting feeling. So, we give.
By no means is this article asking you to stop giving to those who are less fortunate. All it’s asking is for you to consider when and why you give. Don’t do it because you feel guilty; do it because there is some good in your heart. Hell, don’t just give. Spare change can buy food but it can’t buy company. Invite them to a local café and buy them a coffee and a meal, have a chat.
You might learn something.
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