Sunday, December 09, 2007

Celebrating Christmas When You're Poor

It's Christmas time again. I see signs of the holiday every time I drive up the street or go to work. Lights are on houses. Trees decorate windows. Music is on the radio. Grocery stores have special aisles. The mall is packed. Heaven help us all if we have to go to Wal-mart! The ads all tell us how much fun we're having - or supposed to be having. But for many of the clients we serve who are poor Christmas isn't fun and I need your help.

Relax, this isn't a post asking for money. As a nonprofit you already know that Hope for Healing.Org lives off of donations. You all know that you can donate at any time and some of you do. (Which, by the way, we appreciate very much.)

But what I need most is your ideas. Your thoughts and experiences can help make Christmas better too. If we are honest with ourselves most of us can remember a Christmas when we had very little disposable income for gifts. How did we get through it? What kinds of things did you do to add fun to a bleak holiday? How can a victim of domestic violence find something to do with the kids this holiday?

When familes come to me for Christmas help I'd like to give them a list of very low cost ideas. Then, while we're working on getting Christmas for the kids maybe it will reassure them and give them some hope for the future.

After all, isn't that what the holiday is supposed to be about?

Thanks,

Gayle

  1. My top 2 ideas:
    Turn the radio on a station that plays holiday music. Get the scissors, paper and glue and make Christmas decorations with the kids. Paper snowflakes can be cut from computer paper or white plastic trash bags. These can be glued to a dark piece of paper.
  2. Get together with a friend and drive through a neighborhood that's decorated in Christmas lights. Split the gas and double the fun.
  3. With holiday music on the radio make cookies with the kids. Even the store bought dough that you cut from the tube can be fun. Let the kids help.

Now it's your turn...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like to sing christmas carols with my kids. We go down the street and back. When we get home we have hot cocoa to get warm.