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Spread some Christmas cheer

Alright, so I should probably know better than to post things like this on TA because all I will get is stupid comments but....

The other day I was thinking "gee, we really need a Christmas tree because Christmas would be kinda weird without one"... and so I went onto Kijiji to check the "free" section for a tree cause I am poor and cheap like that.

Anyway, as I was looking around, I came across quite a few ads from local people asking for help this Christmas. Apparently it is too late in the month to get hampers and such, so those who were slow at it are being left without. Many of these people are single parents trying to make ends meet, and it is obvious that it has taken a toll on some of these peoples pride to even ask for anything.

So of course, my concern for a stupid tree became really trivial as I was reminded that I am incredibly lucky. Although I am in a stupid amount of debt, I am in a situation where I have plenty of food, and don't need presents or anything. However, for kids out there from poorer families, not having anything from 'Santa' and 'Santa' not having anything to give is probably incredibly tough.

With this in mind (and yes, I know it's not some new, novel idea that I came up with and I am so amazing blah blah blah), I decided to e-mail one of the families and ask them what they would want for Christmas. My boyfriend and I are putting together a little care package with food, small gifts and some money and will be bringing it over to them this week.

My point was not to be like "hey look at me I am such a good person"... instead I was actually hoping that maybe it would inspire some of the nicer TA's to do something for someone in their area. I would bet that your local kijiji ads have some people asking for help too. During a time where buying lots of stuff is what we're 'supposed' to do, it is easy to forget that there are people who aren't doing as well as you might be. It's not hard to sacrifice something small that could end up making someones Christmas. It's also a lot more fulfilling to be able to help someone that you can meet instead of giving it to a faceless charity (not that giving to charity is a bad thing... just not as enjoyable imo).

Cue all the hate comments and the theories that these people will kill me when I get to their house... now.

That's really a nice thing to do.

I feel so sad for people who have little to nothing at any time of year, let alone Christmas.

so i want a new corvette, one of them led tvs (doesn't have be that big, 50" is fine), and a new laptop. tia.

this is what i would give


that should keep them fed for a while

quote:

Originally posted by jennypie I feel so sad for people who have little to nothing at any time of year, let alone Christmas.

I agree... it just really pulls at my heart when I hear about it around Christmas time. For kids, Christmas is such an important time for them, it's supposed to be magical and exciting and for parents who can't afford stuff, it means a lot of stress.

I would imagine that it is harder to be without when everyone else around you is getting a lot. Kinda rubs it in that you don't have much.

But your point also emphasizes that Christmas time isn't the only time when people need things and when people who are better off can help out.

or you can give them an extreme home makeover

This world needs more people helping out those less fortunate then ourselves. I respect anyone who goes out of their way to improve someone's quality of life, even if it is temporary.

quote:

Originally posted by Acton This world needs more people helping out those less fortunate then ourselves. I respect anyone who goes out of their way to improve someone's quality of life, even if it is temporary.

Agreed. That being said, I don't feel I do enough to help, but I definitely should do something about it.

Good thread, Theresa, I'll see what I can do

the world needs more people who are happy with what they have. unhappiness is self-inflicted. he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

Just wait till you see the stuff you gave on ebay .

If I was poor I'd much rather have a shit Christmas than have to say thank you to someone else for their charity.

Re: Spread some Christmas cheer

quote:

Originally posted by Theresa Apparently it is too late in the month to get hampers and such, so those who were slow at it are being left without.

tell them to be faster next year

quote:

Originally posted by R!CH the world needs more people who are happy with what they have. unhappiness is self-inflicted. he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

Seriously? Have you ever had to get your groceries at a food bank? Or gone to a shelter to get a hot meal?

quote:

Originally posted by R!CH the world needs more people who are happy with what they have. unhappiness is self-inflicted.

Try telling that to people in Uganda. Moronic post.

Anyway, great thread! This year instead of doing presents, my family are all donating that money to a given charity.

quote:

Originally posted by R!CH the world needs more people who are happy with what they have. unhappiness is self-inflicted. he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.

Say that to a single mom who can barely afford to give her kids food every day or the homeless man sleeping under the bridge in -46 degree weather or the people who are starving to death in 3rd world countries.

It's hard to be happy when you can't even get your basic needs. Only someone who has never experienced being without would say something as silly as that.

quote:

Originally posted by Dervish If I was poor I'd much rather have a shit Christmas than have to say thank you to someone else for their charity.

You serious? We're talking about a I-had-nothing-to-eat-all-day-long-and-my-kids-won't-stop-crying kind of Christmas here.

What bothers me is that most people only feel the need to "give" during Christmas. People are just as in need of help during the rest of the year.

i have a hard time donating to families in need, i know it sounds awful, so hear me out.

In calgary, i have 2 sister in laws. One lives completely off of welfare/AISH and sits at home with her morphine addiction and smokes ciggarettes and complains about how hard her life is. She lost custody of her 3 children because she is an unfit parent and has some serious mental issues. She is the one i posted the facebook status updates from. She has managed to recieve 3 christmas hampers so far this year with food, gifts for the kids, gifts for her, gift cards for numerous places etc. Alot of families who are really in need didn't get any, but she got 3. The kids live with their dads (2 different dads) and the dads have jobs and make an honest living and provide enough to give the kids a decent christmas. Her kids recieve more gifts then rowan does.

That being said, the other sister in law and her husband work low paying jobs, and spend the money they do get on the most premium cable packages, with a tv and reciever in every room, rent a brand new 5 bedroom house with rental assistance (welfare) and buy anything that comes out new like iphones, toys or gaming systems. They are THOUSANDS of dollars in debt in both here and the states, they recieve food orders from both the food bank and our church welfare system and recieve money from people in the church that feel bad for them. It's hard for eli and i to stomach. They are classic examples of people that abuse the system.

I know of some families that are REALLY trying to make ends meet and are really struggling and i help those people out instead of leaving it to an organization. I have a hard time trusting people..

Rich, normally I agree with you on a lot of things but that has to be one of the stupidest things you've said.

Re: Re: Spread some Christmas cheer

quote:

Originally posted by leebates1986 tell them to be faster next year

There will always be someone who doesn't get something... there is only so much that those organizations can give. It's not like they missed some deadline... it's more like they don't have anything left to give them.

quote:

Originally posted by Dervish Just wait till you see the stuff you gave on ebay . If I was poor I'd much rather have a shit Christmas than have to say thank you to someone else for their charity.

If they want to put it on ebay and get money instead, that's fine. Although most of the stuff we're giving to them isn't e-bay worthy. Some food, some small toys for her kids and some money.

We are giving it to her for her to do with it what she will. So long as they have a better Christmas, then we did what we wanted to do.

Also, I realize that a lot of people have too much pride to ask for help and accept donations, which is why I wouldn't go to some ghetto part of the city and knock on someones door and try to give them stuff. However, these people are actually asking for help... ask and ye shall receive. We wont expect anything, just drop it off, have a wonderful Christmas, bye.

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm Try telling that to people in Uganda. Moronic post. Anyway, great thread! This year instead of doing presents, my family are all donating that money to a given charity.

try observing the poor of india in their slums. despite living in squalor without ever having owned a pair of shoes, many without more than a handful of teeth in their mouths, they are the most playful and smiling bunch of people i've ever seen. yet on the other end of the spectrum you have the streets of lower manhattan, populated by the most comfortable, wealthy people i've ever seen. yet they are all too busy trying to get more to stop and appreciate what it is they have. very few smiles and playful spirits there. happiness is not a financial status, ask tiger woods. happiness is something you grow inside of you. money and gifts may offer temporary relief, but don't offer any lasting happiness. what theresa did is nice, no doubt, but the world doesn't need more givers, it needs more people who appreciate what they have. if there are people with computers and internet posting on kijiji struggling to feed themselves, they obviously have their minds in the wrong places.

quote:

Originally posted by wienerschnitzel I know of some families that are REALLY trying to make ends meet and are really struggling and i help those people out instead of leaving it to an organization. I have a hard time trusting people..

Although I think I'm an overall optimist, I agree with you here, and that's why I refrain from doing as much as I'd like to. I wish I knew how to circumvent this problem here where I live...

I've got to agree with R!CH here.

Even the most impoverished Ugandans that I've met seem to be generally happier than the people I see commuting into DC each morning. It's pretty ignorant to paint them as being miserable and bitter.

quote:

Originally posted by R!CH try observing the poor of india in their slums. despite living in squalor without ever having owned a pair of shoes, many without more than a handful of teeth in their mouths, they are the most playful and smiling bunch of people i've ever seen. yet on the other end of the spectrum you have the streets of lower manhattan, populated by the most comfortable, wealthy people i've ever seen. yet they are all too busy trying to get more to stop and appreciate what it is they have. very few smiles and playful spirits there. happiness is not a financial status, ask tiger woods. happiness is something you grow inside of you. money and gifts may offer temporary relief, but don't offer any lasting happiness. what theresa did is nice, no doubt, but the world doesn't need more givers, it needs more people who appreciate what they have. if there are people with computers and internet posting on kijiji struggling to feed themselves, they obviously have their minds in the wrong places.

That would be a great, thought provoking comparison were our two cultures similar. But they're not.

quote:

Originally posted by echosystm Try telling that to people in Uganda. Moronic post.

btw i find it ironic that you use uganda as an example. if it wasn't for charity aid in uganda, the people there would be better able to feed themselves. but when you drop ship 2 tonnes of free corn there every month, it's pretty hard for local markets to take hold. what you've created is a system of dependency.

quote:

Originally posted by jennypie That would be a great, thought provoking comparison were our two cultures similar. But they're not.

actually it's equally prevalent in india's high society. go to a horseracing track in india, none of the millionaires there ever crack a smile. they are too busy worrying about their money and how to gain more of it. the difference between american society and indian society is that nearly everyone in america worships money and the need for conformity is high. in india, many people have developed that thirst for wealth, but most adhere to the principles of buddhist philosophy that state suffering is caused by desire and ignorance. educate yourself on how to free your thoughts from desire and you will know happiness. it's harder to be poor and happy in america no doubt. there are many more societal pressures that beat the idea of financial success as a measure of self-worth into your psyche, but that doesn't mean it's impossible to cultivate an appreciation for the way things are. maybe you aren't rich, but you have your health, your freedom, your friends, your family, your sanity, your consciousness, your memories, your life and your future going for you. that more than some people can say.

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