Spare a Thought

For a lot of people, right now is a special time of year. Why? Because we've just had Christmas and been given lots and lots of presents (some which we want, some which we really don't, or had from the same relative last year and the year before that). We've gorged ourselves on turkey, goose, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, mince pies, chocolates, cakes all washed down with wine, beer and indigestion remedies. Many of us will have been extremely lucky, we'll have been with our friends and loved ones, in a nice warm house with electricity for watching DVDs and playing computer games, internet connection to twitter and blog and heating to keep us all nice and toasty.

Unfortunately Christmas is not a happy time for everyone. In fact it can be a very difficult time for thousands of people. In the UK alone, like other Western countries, people have been bereaved, are sick, homeless or simply alone. The constant festivities being forced down their throats on TV, in newspapers, in shops that start their sales at 6am on Boxing Day can't make it any easier for them.

Further afield, in countries across Africa and Indonesia people are literally starving. They are malnourished and die of simple diseases that can be easily fought off by stronger, healthier bodies. The mortality rate, particularly of infants, in these countries is frighteningly high.


So, when you're casting aside that unwanted Christmas present, or when you're wishing you'd been given something else, or when you're shopping around for bargains in the sales despite all the presents you've just received, I would like you to spare 1minute to think of someone else. Someone here in the UK that's fallen on hard times, or someone far away who has no idea what Christmas is, or even if they do, don't care, because they just have to focus on surviving. Perhaps you could choose not to buy that one extra bargain which you probably will never wear or eat or use and are just buying because it's a great deal. Perhaps, instead you could donate it to a charity instead. Drop it into a collection box often found at tills, or being shaken outside the store. Go online and find a charity that is doing something you care about. If you're still stuck for ideas here are a few charities that I love:

www.savetheorangutan.co.uk
www.forests4orangutans.org
www.samaritans.org
www.project18.org.au
www.oxfam.org.uk

Any amount of money you could donate to any of these charities would be wisely spent and gratefully appreciated. Please, spare a thought for someone else. Afterall Christmas is a time for GIVING.