And the Results Show...

When I first began writing on this blog, I created a poll asking readers to vote how much money they spend on buying gifts for one person during the Christmas Season. Six readers voted, and of these six readers, three stated that they spend $20.00 on a person, and three readers stated that they spend $30.00 on a person. So, I think it is safe to say that the average college student spends $25.00 on each person during the Christmas Season based on the results of my poll. Ok, $25.00- that doesn't seem too bad, right? Well, let's think. For example, I have to purchase gifts for my mom, my dad, and my brother. So if I plan to buy $25.00 worth of gifts for all of them, that is already $75.00! Now, I didn't add the amount of money that I will end up spending buying gifts for my friends! I have to think about buying gifts for all of my friends here at Caldwell, and I also have to remember that my friends from high school will be coming home from college! And you can't forget about those aunts, uncles, and cousins too!!!
As you can see, buying Christmas presents can become easily overwhelming, even for a college student! In one of my first posts, I asked students what they think is a good way to prepare for the Christmas Season. Many students stated that they think it is important to spend time with family during the season, and to help do little things around the house such as to put up the Christmas lights outside and appreciating the things you have. As soon as you feel overwhelmed, take a look around you. Forget about the gifts and counting the money you have left to spend. Look at the Christmas lights in your neighborhood and read the Christmas cards that your family has received. Most importantly, make time to help those that are less fortunate than you. Consider donating to somewhere such as the Salvation Army to show a person how much you love them. Also, think about setting a budget for gifts or traveling to a local homeless shelter with a loved one to help others in your area. Remember, Christmas is the holiday of giving, not receiving. And when you give, this giving does not necessarily have to be materials things. Be grateful for the wonderful family friends you do have, and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
Also keep in mind that it is not only important to help others during the Season Of Giving, but it is important to help those less fortunate all year long!!! Never forget to be grateful for what you do have, and remember to help those that have less or are struggling.
                                              
                                                                       (Google Images)

Right Down the Street

(Google Images)

In my last post, I stated that an alternative solution as to how we can provide a gift to someone else and show them the true meaning of the Christmas season is to show them the poor living all around us in surrounding areas of New Jersey and New York City. According to Eileen Quigley, author of the article, "The Homeless: How Can the Complex Problems of the Homeless Be Overcome?" which I found on the CQ Researcher Online Database, states how the image of the poor has changed over time. She explains how people originally viewed a homeless person as a "white, middle-aged alcoholic," and now, many of the homeless consist of minority families with young children (Quigley). Although many people express their thoughts as to how people should be educated how homelessness should be prevented entirely, this is at many times very difficult or even impossible to do because we may never understand the circumstances as to why a family might become poor or homeless. Eileen Quigley explains how many providers are working to create facilities that will help to change the lives of families who are in need. These facilities will not only provide housing and food for poor families, but it will also provide motivation and resources to help them to start making an income to allow them to eventually buy their own house and provide for the rest of their family. 

(homelessshelterdirectory.org)

After reading Eileen Quigley's article about the poor and the homeless, I was inspired to see how many homeless shelters and food banks there are in the area, in case some readers would like to know some specific places as to where they could take their loved ones to show them the Christmas Spirit. After some research, I was taken to the website http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org. This website allows you to search any area in your selected state, and it will provide you with a list of homeless shelters, food banks, and soup kitchens in your surrounding area. I typed in the town Caldwell, New Jersey, which we all know and love, to see how many homeless shelters there are close to us. If we think about Caldwell, it is a nice, small town where we rarely see homeless people. The same goes for surrounding towns such as Verona and Roseland. But the Homeless Shelter Directory gave me the names of different homeless shelters in the towns of Hazlet, Elizabeth, Sussex, Paterson, Newark, and even Morristown. These areas are about twenty minutes away from Caldwell, but we would never truly think that there are areas that close to us with Homeless Shelters, many of which are filled with today's economy. 
It is so easy to use the excuse, "Well, I'm not homeless, and I don't see or know anyone homeless around me, so why should I help?" To many people's surprise, it is so easy to become homeless, such as if a person suddenly loses their job and cannot obtain another one. Also, there are many homeless people around us! They might not be there right when we walk down the street, but if we take a couple of minute drive to a homeless shelter, we can see how many in our local areas need help. If you want to visit and help at a local homeless shelter, feel free to type in the name of your town at the link above. During that nice, long, winter break we have, don't forget to help some of the people in your area :)            

Salvation Army and Helping Others

This video was posted last year encouraging others to donate to the Salvation Army and help those less fortunate than themselves during the Holiday Season.

Home is Where the Heart Is...

(Google Images)

After the last video I posted, many people have expressed their thoughts as to how people should try to help those in poverty in America during Christmas rather than focusing on helping those in poverty internationally. I very much agree! For anything to succeed, it has to begin small, on a local level, and then expand to a broader level. The truth is that another way in which you can show someone else that you care for them is through personally showing them the true meaning and spirit of Christmas: helping others. When I was in the seventh grade, I was given the opportunity to provide help at our school's Toys for Tots delivery. At first, I was reluctant to go on the trip because I was not sure what to expect. We were traveling to Camden Street School, in Newark; a school in which a lot of students live in poverty each and every day. I eventually decided to go to Camden Street School to deliver the Christmas toys to the students, and in reality, this trip showed me how grateful I should be for the wonderful life I have. Not only the students, but the teachers also expressed a great amount of gratitude for not only the toys we brought for the students, but for the Christmas spirit and hope we brought to them. Truly, those students showed me the true spirit of Christmas. One ride to Camden Street School taught me how the importance of Christmas is not about receiving the newest Coach purse or the most recent iPod. Christmas is about showing appreciation, happiness, and love towards those who are important to you. During Christmas, it is also extremely important to help others because it shows how much you care. I will always be grateful to my middle school for their trip to Camden Street School.

(Google Images)

So many people in America are struggling during this time of year. It saddens any person to think that there are so many families who will not be having "A Very Merry Christmas." According to Jason Easley, author of the article, "Just in Time for Christmas Glenn Beck Calls the Suffering of the Poor A Lie," of the website, politicsususa.com, Easley explains how in Christmas 2010, so many people will go without having a joyous day on December 25th. Easley argues television and radio conservative personality Glenn Beck, who stated "the poor are suffering a lie." Jason Easley states how "two million Americans are set to lose their unemployment benefits by Christmas" (Easley). Jason Easley shows how there are so many families right here in America that can be helped because as of Christmas, they may have absolutly no income. If you have a friend or family member that you feel needs a wake up call of the Christmas spirit, give them the best gift that I was ever given when I was in the seventh grade. Bring them to somewhere as local as Newark or New York City, and personally donate money or gifts to those in need and see how happy they are that they can provide some form of a Christmas for their family this year. Showing the true meaning of Christmas to a loved one is the best give they can ever receive, and I can also vow to this through personal experience.   

Feed The World (Do They Know it's Christmas Time)

How Much is Too Much?

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Although I absolutly love the idea of donating to an organization such as the Salvation Army as a way of showing someone else you care during the Christmas Season, many people would most likely not agree with me. Some people feel that you have to take the time to choose a material "present" in order to show someone else you care. But sometimes the spending becomes out of control. For example, according Teresa McEntire, author of article, "How Much Do You Spend on Christmas?" on families.com, $435 billion dollars of economic activity is generated each year during the Christmas Season. In the United States, the average American will spend $750 dollars on Christmas gifts for other people (McEntire). With this current economy, who has $750 do spend on gifts for all of their friends and family? I certaintly don't! One alternative solution that can help to stop the immense spending on material Christmas gifts is to set a budget either within your family or your group of friends. Teresa McEntire explains how she refuses to spend any more the one hundred dollars on each of her children because she does not want them to be spoiled. But for college students, like us, one hundred dollars is even out of our price range. A more negotiable price range for people our age seems to be spending between fifteen to twenty dollars on each person. According to the poll on my blog, two people have stated that they spend an average of thirty dollars for each person on a Christmas gift. If your family and friends do not feel comfortable setting a price range, another thing you could organize is a secret santa. This way each person will only have to concentrate on buying a gift for one person, and each person will receive a gift that someone spent a lot of time thinking about getting for them.

The Season of Giving

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According to the United States Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, and 12.9 million of these people are children (Siddiqi "Statistics on poverty & food wastage in America").During the Christmas Season, everyone thinks about children sitting on Santa's lap, but it is very easy to forget all of those children who are suffering in the world. Beside having no presents to open, they are struggling to survive each day. One way to spend a reasonable amount of money on a gift and to tell someone that they are important to you is to donate something to the poor in a loved one's name. One organization who is very active during the Christmas Season is The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army has close to 1,400 thrift stores that fund Adult Rehabilitation Centers. You can donate gently used clothing to the thrift stores, or the Salvation Army will gladly accept monetary donations to help all of the adults, and especially children, struggling during the "Season of Giving." This solution is possible because it shows another person you care for them and did something in honor of them instead of physically handing them a gift. There are also so many different organizations who are willing to accept donations throughout the holiday season, such as The Salvation Army and Make a Wish Foundation. This solution of donating to the poor on Christmas will also address the problem of many children not being able to have anything on Christmas. How do you feel about making a donation as a Christmas gift for a person? Does it truly show them you care about them?
To learn more about how to donate to the Salvation Army, please follow this link