Christmas is just hours away.
Children are palpably excited. Parents are visibly exhausted. Teachers are rejoicing at a break.
And I am pondering the injustices of the world.
I’m not sure what has made me so pensive this holiday season, but I’ve lost sleep thinking about the plight of the homeless and the abused, those suffering with mental illness and those who have lost someone in a season when most of the nation is happy.
I often share memories of my childhood, happy ones like waking up early Christmas morning to run downstairs to see what Santa had brought.
The bright, beautiful wrapping paper. The stacks of presents. The excitement in the air. Trying to talk my mom into making pancakes — because, after all, Santa is the one who did all the work.
One year I got a beautiful dress with green velvet at the top. I can remember putting it on and feeling the velvet on my fingers like it was yesterday.
Now, I think about children to whom Christmas is just another day. A day where they struggle to find enough food to eat, try to avoid the ire of a drunk or high parent or caregiver, or wonder if tomorrow will bring a home, safety and warmth for their family.
We’ve all seen abuses in the public assistance system, and sadly, those who depend on that assistance for a hand up are often painted with the same brush as those who are using it for a hand out.
Recently in the news was a story about a starving, stray dog that wandered into someone’s home looking for help. The family took him in, and set about giving him a better life.
Imagine if the headline had been a starving, homeless person wandered into someone’s home looking for help. I think the story would have been quite different.
Why is it that people are more sympathetic to animals than to fellow man?
I often think about memories, and how people’s lives differ from others. We’re all familiar with the clichés of partying college students or young adults who live carefree and irresponsibly. And I’m sure most realize that isn’t the norm in everyone’s lives.
I never went to a keg party in the woods in high school. I didn’t get drunk and fail a midterm in college. Those aren’t memories I have, and I’m OK with that.
What is harder for me to accept is that a happy childhood isn’t a memory everyone has.
So many children won’t have memories of presents under a Christmas tree. Or settling snug into their beds, eager to get up Christmas morning to see what Santa has brought.
The sappy, simple joy behind the Elf on a Shelf tradition — for children to wake up in the morning and see what mischief the little bugger has wrought — is so far outside the norm for so many children.
As I lay awake at night, pondering the injustices in the world, I started making a mental list of ways people can make a difference.
We recently had a story about the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign being far behind this year on collecting donations. Those funds are used for programs like providing food, clothing and housing services.
In this small community, there are so many services that help children and the needy. Most need volunteers, or financial support. Big Brothers Big Sisters and McKean County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) programs are always looking for volunteers. Programs like Children’s Advocacy Center of McKean County accept donations like toys and gas cards to help families.
The McKean County Collaborative Board offers a resource directory for folks who need help. There are food pantries, counseling services, abuse hotlines and more available right here in the community.
So as we celebrate Christmas this week, giving and receiving gifts, spending time with family and friends, let’s try to keep in mind that there is more to Christmas than that.
It’s love for others that makes the season.
(Marcie Schellhammer is the Era’s assistant managing editor. She can be reached at marcie@bradfordera.com.)
