Helping others is the best gift at Christmas
THERE can be no denying — or ignoring — it any longer. We are now in one of the busiest, most magical and emotionally charged times of year.
Yes, the run-up to Christmas is here, and people with a determined look in their eyes are beginning to flood the shops, wandering the aisles in the hope of finding that perfect — and hopefully affordable — gift.
We all bring our own set of dreams, aspirations, and memories to this time of year. Christmases past when Santa still reigned supreme, and all things were possible, Christmases when family ties were renewed and strengthened, midnight mass, carols and those delicious aromas of turkey, mincemeat, and roast potatoes.
Even if we don’t have such a store of memories to draw on, we can always create them, with the help of the ever-obliging marketing campaigns — where retailers never miss the chance to warn us that without their expensive perfume, new blinds, a giant-sized couch, a weight-reducing cereal (or inexplicably to me, a device for removing hard skin from your feet) — Christmas just won’t be as good as it might be.
Even those who don’t buy in to the commercialised vision of Christmas inevitably find themselves with a lot of extra work on as they strive to ensure that their nearest and dearest have a Christmas to remember — that legendary best Christmas ever.
And yet, there are those who, in the middle of all this mayhem, somehow manage to find time for the less fortunate, proving that old adage “if you want something done, ask a busy person.”
I have been speaking to three of them.
First, Paul Sheehan of Cork Simon, who says “Christmas is a difficult time for us.”
“People who are homeless, isolated from their families, find their situation especially hard now.
“People are shopping for presents, going to parties, meeting up with relatives. Seeing all this going on can be a painful reminder of what they have lost.” Cork Simon have been serving the homeless for 40 years, and they make it their business to ensure that, all year round, those who are disenfranchised get the help, support and shelter that they need to help them rebuild their lives.
People like Nora (not her real name), who ended up sleeping rough after years of domestic abuse. The mother of five children, Nora suffered from clinical depression and eventually lost custody of her children.
“I don’t think I would be alive today if I hadn’t knocked on the door of Simon,” she says. “I didn’t want to be on the streets, but things happened to me in my life that led me into that situation. People end up on the streets for so many reasons. It could happen to anyone.”
“The atmosphere in our centres can be especially charged at this time of year,” Paul says. “People can’t help but remember better times and Christmases past. So we have a whole series of activities going on to lighten the mood. Our Christmas party, outings to the cinema, bowling or some of our incredible volunteers taking people out for something as simple as a coffee and a chat.
“We are open all over Christmas and, with the help of our volunteers, we serve a fabulous dinner at the day centre on Christmas Day. Everybody lends a hand, serving food, setting the table, chatting with people. And Santa makes an appearance too.
“The fact that volunteers think our residents are worth giving up a couple of hours of time away from their families on Christmas Day is something that constantly amazes our residents. It means so much to them.”
The staff at Cork Simon are also busy fund-raising in the weeks before Christmas, street collections, raffles, the Santa stamp appeal and the rotary tree of remembrance are all important activities in the effort to raise the money needed to keep this vital service going. Your support is always needed.
www.corksimon.ie
