YUVA invites you to generously donate online for this Christmas 2021. The donation collected will be used to buy toys and books for 368 disadvantaged children.

Christmas festivities primitively consisted of a feast day for family and friends to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The gift-giving practice only became well established in the late 1700s, and the practice of a Christmas tree even later. Santa Claus, whose character is based on Saint Nicolas and his legendary habit of secret gift-giving, became popular in the 19^th century later on through the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. Regardless of its origins and the evolution of its festivities, Christmas has always been a day of joy and harmony. Giving gifts is only a means, albeit a popular one, of bringing that joy.

Children go to sleep on Christmas Eve, buzzing with anticipation, sometimes being unable to sleep because of their excitement and having to be coaxed into sleep with promises of Santa’s gifts come morning or with the warning of Santa’s naughty list.

Christmas morning brings shouts of excitement and indescribable joy in children when they wake up to several gifts under their Christmas tree. This joy is a privilege, something many people fail to realise. Every Christmas, some children are bereft of the fun of Christmas simply because their parents cannot afford it. In today’s capitalist society, Christmas keeps on becoming more expensive, a luxury that low-income families cannot afford.

Children comprise a third of the world population, yet half of them struggle to live on $1.90 per day. The UNICEF reports a global estimate of 1 billion multi-dimensionally poor children, i.e., they lack the necessities; food, sanitation, healthcare, shelter and education. With the ongoing pandemic having bereaved numerous people of their jobs, around 150 million children have fallen into multi-dimensional poverty. The poverty rate is expected to rise even further this year. It is simply heart wrenching to know that even more children will have to go hungry this year, and even fewer will be able to celebrate Christmas.

Erma Bombeck, lauded humorist, once said that there’s nothing sadder in this world than to wake up on Christmas morning and not be a child. Indeed, it is more painful to wake up on Christmas morning as a child of the poor. There is nothing more despairing than watching the world celebrates with gifts and delicious foods while you barely have a roof on your head and food on your table. Christmas or not, the poor remains poor while the rich just becomes richer. For the poor, Christmas only seems like an impending nightmare; poor children are bracing themselves for the inevitable disappointment of receiving no gifts and parents bracing themselves for the heart-wrenching guilt of not being able to make their children’s Christmas a happy one.

Fortunately, there exist good Samaritans in the world who work towards bettering the life of the poor.  Just as NGOs are working non-stop to make sure none of these children goes to bed hungry, others are striving to make sure none miss out on Christmas this year. Christmas is a day of good cheer and togetherness meant to be shared, and the Christmas spirit embodies giving, whether it is kindness, forgiveness, love, or charity. Go to an orphanage and spend the day with the children. 

Donate to organisations that endeavour to spread Christmas joy to the poor.  Share your Christmas dinner with those who cannot afford one.  There are several ways of celebrating Christmas, but one has not truly lived Christmas until one has given. As G.K Chesterton once said, “Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.” Hence, it is only fitting to give to those who are celebrated. Borrowing famous Christian Evangelist Ruth Carter Stapleton’s words, “Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.” Sadly, Covid-19 has primarily increased the number of such people. So, let’s not hesitate to give where we can, especially for this Christmas season.