Now that Thanksgiving is in the past, the holiday season is ‘officially? upon us. I say officially because we know it really started back in October, September if you work in retail. For the next month or so, our lives are going to be saturated with reminders that it’s time to spend all our money on gifts and thankfully the media is here to keep us up-to-date on what is really important: how are retail stores doing profit-wise?
Some genuine sentiment is worth mentioning every year. Ignore the clich? aspect of the message and take it to heart.
This is the time of year where a mall or department store is the last place I want to be. The insanity of rabid holiday shoppers is enough to make anyone fear the convenience of a mega mall like Great Lakes Crossing.
Despite the fact that the holiday spirit is suppose to inspire good will toward each other, this seems to be the time of year when people disrespect others more than ever.
For a minute, pretend you don’t have to find gifts for a dozen people and think about what else goes on this time of year. Amid the blurry cluster of shoppers, you might see someone sitting by a little red bucket. Over the sound of pop artist covers of classic Christmas songs, you might hear the sound a lone bell ringing. Let this be a subtle reminder that there are plenty of people in need.
Do you know how many Playstation 3 systems are available in the US? Do you know how much an iPod costs? Now, do you know how many families Lighthouse Emergency Services tries to help this time of year? Which is more important?
I’m got no business sounding self-righteous though. I’m just as guilty as the next person. The first thought I have on payday is whose gifts I can afford this weekend.
Still, even little gestures can go a long way if enough people try. Last year, Lighthouse has a sudden rise in needy families, and a surprisingly equal drop off in donations. Christmas is a great time of year to be around loved ones and to show them how much they mean to us, but we should never forget those who cannot have it as great as we do.
Finding a chance to donate should be pretty easy. The Clarkston School bus drivers arrange a great event every year when they fill buses with donated itemsand are doing so again this year on the weekend of Dec 9?10. I can’t imagine a single instance where they turned away money or donations due to a surplus.
I’ve never seen a Toys for Tots drive where someone said ‘enough already, we’re all set.?
This weekend the Oakland County Sportsman’s Club is holding their annual fundraiser where a donated toy is the price of admission. Last year they had a small mountain worth of toys collected from generous people, but even that only begins to scratch the surface of what the organization needs.
Clarkston may be fairly removed from the parts of Metro Detroit hit hardest by the slumping economy, but no area is completely untouched. There are plenty of people who could use our help to ensure their family has a happy holiday season too.
But it never stops there, even if the holiday spirit moves you to donate now, keep in mind these charity organization could use your help year round.