This year, I want to challenge you.
Christmas is a time where money is spent. Abundantly. Too abundantly if you ask me. Growing up, I was always told "no expensive gifts" . It was part of our Wish List Rules. We didn't have an actual list, but we all knew the rules. I always thought "THIS IS SO UNFAIR! All my friends are getting TVs and discmans (yeah remember those? Apparently they are so old discman isn't even a word on the interwebs anymore.) Now that I am older, I look back at my young, foolish, selfish self and think only one thing: how could you.
Christmas is such a privileged holiday. Only people with money can get the "right" things. Other than that, we are just a bunch of greedy and blessed people. While at the same time that you are opening your presents at 8am on December 25th, there are children and families starving. Not excited about the day of gifts and Santa, but just hoping they can manage somehow to make it through yet another day with pennies to their name. How will they feed their kids? How will they afford to fix the hole in the roof where water constantly leaks? How will they get the money for that one immunization that could very well save a person's life.
So this year I want to challenge you. Instead of spending your $600 on gifts, donate it. Give this Christmas to a family who doesn't have the means to save a little bit each week to buy that iPod. Give to a hospital where children, mothers, fathers, grandparents are fighting for their life with something so simply curable like diarrhea. Give to an orphanage or a school so that kids can be educated and get a well paying job to support their families so they don't have to live in the same situation. Give to a cause that gives hope to all of these hardships. Just give. According to Stats Canada, in 2011, 3.2 billion... BILLION dollars were spent on ONLY gifts. That money could do so much more than the little trinkets and toys that come out of boxes. I heard that it takes 3.5 billion dollars over the course of 5 years to cure world hunger and poverty. So what are we waiting for? We are practically there with one Christmas. All it takes is one Christmas to make a difference. Just one. So let's do it. Let's all take the challenge this year and give.
I challenge you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGHHy43ICzo&feature=youtu.be
Christmas is a time where money is spent. Abundantly. Too abundantly if you ask me. Growing up, I was always told "no expensive gifts" . It was part of our Wish List Rules. We didn't have an actual list, but we all knew the rules. I always thought "THIS IS SO UNFAIR! All my friends are getting TVs and discmans (yeah remember those? Apparently they are so old discman isn't even a word on the interwebs anymore.) Now that I am older, I look back at my young, foolish, selfish self and think only one thing: how could you.
Christmas is such a privileged holiday. Only people with money can get the "right" things. Other than that, we are just a bunch of greedy and blessed people. While at the same time that you are opening your presents at 8am on December 25th, there are children and families starving. Not excited about the day of gifts and Santa, but just hoping they can manage somehow to make it through yet another day with pennies to their name. How will they feed their kids? How will they afford to fix the hole in the roof where water constantly leaks? How will they get the money for that one immunization that could very well save a person's life.
So this year I want to challenge you. Instead of spending your $600 on gifts, donate it. Give this Christmas to a family who doesn't have the means to save a little bit each week to buy that iPod. Give to a hospital where children, mothers, fathers, grandparents are fighting for their life with something so simply curable like diarrhea. Give to an orphanage or a school so that kids can be educated and get a well paying job to support their families so they don't have to live in the same situation. Give to a cause that gives hope to all of these hardships. Just give. According to Stats Canada, in 2011, 3.2 billion... BILLION dollars were spent on ONLY gifts. That money could do so much more than the little trinkets and toys that come out of boxes. I heard that it takes 3.5 billion dollars over the course of 5 years to cure world hunger and poverty. So what are we waiting for? We are practically there with one Christmas. All it takes is one Christmas to make a difference. Just one. So let's do it. Let's all take the challenge this year and give.
I challenge you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGHHy43ICzo&feature=youtu.be
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