For most people who read this blog, they are probably used to having cold weather, even snow for the Christmas Season. Of course, if you are in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, anywhere south of the Equator) you are the opposite and it is Summer at this time of year. Still, I believe that the vast majority of our readers are in the Northern Hemisphere and in Cold Weather parts of that Hemisphere.
For me, I come from Washington State, in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States of America. During December it is normally cold there. We didn’t usually have snow for Christmas, but sometimes we did. But, I don’t remember a time when it wasn’t cold in December. Normally, it was raining and icy at this time of year too. When I moved to the Philippines, I had not thought about the fact that it would be a HOT Christmas from that point on. The first few years, it just didn’t seem like Christmas to me, and I had a hard time feeling festive in the hot weather.
So, the question came about… what do I need to do to get into the Christmas Spirit that I missed so much.
I didn’t really know what to do. I thought about it and thought again, but couldn’t find a solution. Then, one year, on December 24, my wife and I were out shopping. I told her that I had an idea. We went to a local fast food restaurant and bought enough food for a few hundred meals, then we got the kids, loaded up the food into the car and drove around town, giving meals to homeless people on the streets. We primarily focused on street children, although anybody who looked like they were going hungry tended to get a meal. We even gave food to some traffic police and such who were working hard on that Christmas Eve day.
After we finished giving out the food, I realized that I really felt great! It worked! I felt like it was Christmas again! My only sorrow was that I wished that I had more food to give out. Now, every year my family and I figure out something to do to help poor people, and it makes us all feel that it’s Christmas time again!
So, the lesson that I learned is that Christmas doesn’t have anything to do with the weather. You can do other things to get that Spirit that you used to associate with Cold Weather!
Merry Christmas, everybody!
Bob, what you do sounds like the best type of Christmas spirit. It would be a nicer world if more people in all countries would do something similar.
Dan
Hi Danny – Honestly, I feel that this kind of giving does more for me than it does for the recipient. It really fills me with joy and opens my heart to the joy of Christmas. It makes me feel good and puts me in the right mood so that I can be in the right frame of mind to make sure that my wife and kids have a good Christmas. I guess it does that for all in our family. Take care, and Merry Christmas to you!
Just like Christmas, a lot of the joy of love is found in the giving.
Exactly right, Lamar!
We all must have realised that its always during this time of the year toward Christmas that most of the poor and needy, those on the street without families to go back to, no one to take care of, we can bring joy and happiness to them, just a meal or two can make lots of different. Imagine how ones feel if we are starving. Over here in the tropic we are slightly better of because we dont have to face the cold and snow on the streets. Do a bit of social work for the unfortunate make ones fullfillment complete.
Love what youve done. In the furture, when I get over there, and settle in, I plan to stop by a local hospital and give lolly pops or something similar to those just laying in a hospital bed, if ok with the staff
Late Merry Xmas wishes to you and yours
Hi Mitch – thanks for your kind thoughts and words! One thing about doing that lolly pop thing – although the kids will get a lot out of it, you will get even MORE, just through the good feelings that will come to you.