Eve Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Well Christmas is nearly upon us. I am racking my brain trying to think of something different to do this Christmas which incorporates being relevant to others who are needy and something which is progressive. The 'something' must be something which the young adults of the family can be involved in which wont make them vomit or become emotionally disturbed.. (soup kitchens would be too much for them) It doesnt have to take place on Christmas Day, just something which really is about the true mesage of Christmas. All ideas welcome. Any thoughts? Only thought so far is visiting people in hospital to provide some type of entertainment.. not that we are good entertainers but .. I dont know! Link to post Share on other sites
Art_Critic Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 http://www.allthingschristmas.com/christmas-charity.html http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/ Has some nice links.. http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/tp/christmascharit.htm I've always given money to the Red Cross on Christmas. I try to give blood also thru out the year but I make sure that I give around Christmas. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eve Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 Thanks Art Critic for the links. I shall have a good browse over the weekend. Previously I have used an alternative Christmas catalogue and bought sheep etc which are MORE than useful for those who receive them.. but I want to get involved in a reasonable, age appropriate fashion (in thinking about the childens contributions) Thanks again. Link to post Share on other sites
Lizzie60 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Nice.. how about a residence for old people.. some people have no family... invite a single mother (from a shelter) to spend X-mas day with your family... or visit a women's shelter and bring gifts for the little ones in there. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 stealing a leaf from Lizzie's post: Back in San Antonio, the people in the community and surrounding towns open up their homes on Thanksgiving and Christmas to soldiers/airmen from the area bases who can only get out for the day. don't know if you've got a base in your area to do that, but there's also an operation Christmas card project where you & your family can send holiday cards to soldiers serving abroad; there's cookie/gift projects for the soldiers, etc. I'm sure your local paper will list addresses or contact info for those two things. locally, some of our catholic churches are serving a holiday meal for the community at large – not only for those in need, but to promote true holiday spirit and ecumenism in the community. Some of my sources have said that they'll be feeding 500-800 at Thanksgiving alone in Marshall and Nacogdoches, and that's pretty good for these mid-sized cities! kids can start up a collection of money and nonperishable foods to donate to holiday food basket projects, or even the regional food bank – I know the one here in my town is really hurting for money to restock their shelves, thanks to the evacuees here in town for Hurricane Ike ... the local paper might run some places where volunteers are needed, that's always a good way to pass holiday cheer; check with local churches to see what they're doing. Most likely canned food drives. Or check out the local Meals on Wheels program that serves shut-ins. THe nice thing about that is that it's a year-round effort, as is the food pantry thing. really, the only limit is one's imagination! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eve Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 how about a residence for old people.. some people have no family... invite a single mother (from a shelter) to spend X-mas day with your family... or visit a women's shelter and bring gifts for the little ones in there. Good thoughts.. I do have a soft spot for the elderly and for womesn fleeling violence and their children... VERY good ideas! Christmas is SUCH a hard time for many people because of all the (media induced) expectations *Eve growls in an annoyed fashion* Many are lonely at this time of year .. and I know what it is to be lonely.. back in the day. Thanks Lizzie. Link to post Share on other sites
Lizzie60 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Yes I know.. and it's a time of year when we feel more generous towards people who need more.. My daughter sponsors a child in the third world.. she's had the same little girl for many many years.. she visited her 3 times.. last year they got her a bike.. (which will serve for the whole family).. that's what she had asked for.. Link to post Share on other sites
IfWishesWereHorses Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 LOL, Lizzie, this was my first thought (memory) when I read this thread. Growing up (during the 13 years my grandmother was in a nursing home and my mother was there every day) our house WAS a virtual soup kitchen for any holiday. We carted 10 or so people back and forth from the nursing home for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Complete with gifts and goodie bags to take home. She even catered an event at the home for the workers. My thought, though, is collecting gently used "work" clothes for a woman's shelter, have the kids make sure they are laundered, ironed and sorted by size. My son's class is making bags to be given to the homeless at a local charitable hospital. Link to post Share on other sites
IfWishesWereHorses Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 The canned food drive made me think of something we did each year with the youth of our church to supply the food pantry. We had an enoumous scavenger hunt. Each item listed had a different point value, veggies, fruit, meat, cereal, diapers ect... The kids brought friends, we sucured plenty of drivers, set the clock and they were off. You should have seen how much food we brought in. It was sorted as we added up the points for each team. GREAT fun, and it served a purpose and it happened very quickly. Link to post Share on other sites
Lizzie60 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 I tend to be more generous towards children at X-mas time.. Another good way is to call the Children Aid Society.. tell them you'd like to help a young family in need... take the child or the children (hoping there is not more than 2) and take them to buy him/her/them new clothes for X-mas and a pair of PJs (these are always nice to get for x-mas) Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eve Posted October 23, 2008 Author Share Posted October 23, 2008 My daughter sponsors a child in the third world.. she's had the same little girl for many many years.. she visited her 3 times.. last year they got her a bike.. (which will serve for the whole family).. that's what she had asked for.. Yeah, I hear that World Vision provides an excellent service as such! Not many people visit the sponsored child - well done you! Throughout the year I help the needy in many ways. For the young adults of the family we have tended to concentrate on philosphical issues/religious viewpoints and conscience in order to understand the meaning of virtue and kindness. This year I want to start a spark of something meaningful in an pro-active way.. Thankfully our children do not need or even want for anything and I am really looking forward to us doing something truly ace. Quick note, I am not into Church at the moment so cannot participate in any Church activity based projects... though my Husband is always trying to tempt me back.. Still, thank you very much for the suggestions Quankanne and ifwisheswerehorses. Link to post Share on other sites
Lizzie60 Posted October 23, 2008 Share Posted October 23, 2008 Oh .. How old are your kids? Link to post Share on other sites
disgracian Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 I donate to TEAR.org. They send you postcards that you can then send to other people. Cheers, D. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted October 24, 2008 Share Posted October 24, 2008 ah, but the beauty of some of these church-sponsored events is that you don't *have* to be linked to a particular church – they're just happy to get volunteers, you know? additional thought about the women's shelters: What about collecting things/providing services they wouldn't normally think about, like haircuts, manicures/pedicures, gift certificates for work/interview clothes, movie tickets? For the kids, just the chance to interact with other kids in a neutral but fun setting – day at the park, at the museum, game day (board games or sports) – you know, just a chance to play, and not worry about having to leave home just to be safe. Link to post Share on other sites
ed-205 Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 Where I work, we do the Angel Tree thing, but the one thing that I really find most rewarding is when we sponsor a few dozen Bikers to visit the local Center for Abused and Neglected Children to donate food, clothing, toys, diapers, money, and especially their *time* to make Christmas a little more special for these kids who really deserve it. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eve Posted October 25, 2008 Author Share Posted October 25, 2008 We have settled on the visiting a womens shelter idea.. mainly because this would be something which could possilbly grow in useful ways for all concerned Thanks for the input. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 I hope your visit brings the residents much-needed smiles and lightness .... Link to post Share on other sites
Author Eve Posted October 26, 2008 Author Share Posted October 26, 2008 Thanks.. It will be good! Link to post Share on other sites
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