Two kinds of people
Who is on your Christmas list? This article is for two kinds of people. Those for whom Christmas is a very energizing and wonderful time and those for whom Christmas is a time when they wish they could disappear for a couple of weeks and just bypass the whole thing. Christmas is a painful time for many people because it brings to the surface lots of pain that has been stored away in closets of shame and bad memories. For others it is a time of so many wonderful memories of family and friends and celebration. I write this for both groups because I have a suggestion for both categories. For those whom Christmas is an annual awesome experience I would like to suggest that in the spirit of thanks-giving you put someone on your Christmas list a little outside your box. Perhaps you already do and that’s why you enjoy Christmas so much. If not can I encourage you to find somebody outside your social circle that you can target with a well thought out Christmas gift that will make their season jolly?
My Christmas adventures
For the last four years a very generous team of friends and I have been throwing a Christmas dinner party for the lowest income housing community in our city. I really want to emphasis that this annual event was launched on a whim of a very random thought from on high. Every year we feel a bit more like family and it has been an amazing experience for everyone. If you are in the other category of feeling like the grinch every season why not turn it around so every season you get excited because you have changed the story and turned it into a time of creating awesome memories of how you have put someone on your list and brought them the gift of joy through a thoughtful gift? You will not have to look hard to find someone around you who has very little by way of material things and perhaps not a very good legacy of Christmas memories. Right now I have two focuses in this regard – one very local and one very far away. The low income housing community and then my little Nepali family of 20+ kids and a couple of very big hearted parents. My dear friend in Nepal has taken in over 20 kids over the years and brought them into a very rich family experience gifting them with love, education, health care, belonging and a chance to dream. Many of them came from the streets and indescribable experiences. I am very aware that on our own we can only do so much but as a team the possibilities exponentially increase. If you would like to join me in supporting these kids fire me an email and we can dialogue about what might be helpful. My strategy is to find a small handful of world changers who can do some creative fundraisers throughout the year and meet the budget of about $1000 per month to cover all their needs. May you discover the deeper meaning of the Christ celebration that has been going on for 2000 + years and I hope you have a very merry Christmas.
A few of the kids gather around the water well
The kids have a little wash up before a photo shoot
A little peek into Samir’s life
Samir
Date of Birth: – 15/12/2006