Hello ho ho! 

Its that time of year again!

Christmas is just around the corner, and oh so many people are behaving in a feverish, frantic, and frenetic way as they make a desperate last minute bid to find the perfect gift. 

Others may be worrying incessantly about the Christmas meal, and in particular how the family dynamic will be. (I do suspect that lots of us have rose-tinted false memories about how Christmas was (based on some long forgotten movies) and not how it actually was/is. It’s difficult to measure up against Hollywood perfection – and yet persist we do!)

One of the issues at this time of year is that if we become so stressed and so blinkered, whilst striving for ‘Yuletide perfection’, we can forget that it is actually the season of goodwill to all. 

And that may cause us to miss seeing the real suffering which exists around us – not the kind of suffering surrounding the anguished choice between whether to pull the crackers at the beginning, or at end of the meal – but the suffering of those who are much less fortunate than us.

Although homelessness is a tragedy which, for so many, lasts all year long, I cannot help but think of those people who have no permanent abode, or warm bed, or even tent, at this time of year.

This is partly because as the temperature plummets, what must be an absolutely miserable experience in the warmer months, can be transformed into a simple, stark, brutal fight for survival. 

It is also partly because this time of year can also be a time of great excess. Gifts bought which are sometimes not wanted, and very often not really needed, and so many meal tables still groaning under the weight of food – and that’s after the meal has ended. 

Bah humbug? No, but it would do us all good to spread the festive cheer. 

I think that it is such a jarring juxtaposition; the sight of the hornless person lying on wet cardboard, essentially unprotected from an extremely harsh environment, whilst many of us are worrying about whether we can find enough space for all our new ‘toys’.

None of that sits well with me.

Having thought about it, and what I could do to help, I explored charities that existed in my area. I found ‘Crisis’ who work in England, Wales and Scotland, supporting the homeless. (If you do not live in those areas there will no doubt be an equivalent). 

I am not affiliated in any way with Crisis, but they do appear to do some excellent work, and I have made a small donation.

Could you? What if we all did one small thing, directly or indirectly, what difference would that make?

A lot I suspect.

A link to the ‘Crisis’ website is below. 

It’s good to give. Surely that’s the real spirit of the season.

Merry Christmas 

Mike 

www.crisis.org.uk