With the recent discussions we have been having in class about poverty, and the holidays on their way, I decided to write my blog this week about a topic that relates to both: poverty during christmas time.
Over the years, I have always been fortunate enough to have parents who are able to give my siblings and I so many generous gifts on Christmas. I can't ever recall a Christmas morning that I woke up and was disappointed with the presents under my tree. I am aware that this is not the case for many other children though.
This week, I went on my laptop in search of something that would help me to gain a better understanding of this topic. Of course, everyone knows that there are usually people who are" less fortunate" than them, and this awareness causes most people become a bit more generous during the holiday season: buying non-perishable food items for a church, donating gently used coats, giving money to the guy dressed as Santa Claus outside of the supermarket. All of these actions show that a person is aware of and is sympathetic towards people who are struggling economically during this time of year. The real question is though, how many people really understand what it is like to be in a situation where their family is struggling during christmastime?
In my search, a few of the things that I read that really stuck out to me was a fiction story called "Christmas is a Sad Season for the Poor," a blog post called "Poor Kids and Guilt at Christmas," and an online forum titled "Christmas for Only Rich, What About the Poor?" Although some of these sources are not sources that teachers would typically approve of, I found that they helped me to learn a lot. All of them had to do with experiences that people had during Christmases when they could not afford many of the luxuries that a lot of us take for granted.
As I previously stated, I was always aware that there are many people who are not as fortunate as I am during the holidays, but reading about specific experiences in the first person point of view really showed me how hard christmas can be for some. I encourage anyone who is interested in gaining a better understanding of the actual emotions that these people feel to check out any of the sources that I mentioned, or even do your own search. It really puts things in perspective, and I'm sure that after reading, you will really recognize how thankful you should be for what you have
Nicely reflective, and thanks for the resources!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a really good point, I wrote a similar blog a while back if you want to check it out. What a lot of people don't think about is not so much whether there are people who are less fortunate than them because like you said most are aware of that, but rather just how many people are less fortunate than them. I read one of the sources you posted, "poor kids and guilt at Christmas" and it really is heartbreaking to think about. I only wish more people would realize just how well off they are and start donating more of what they really don't need to those who would be far better off having it. Thanks again for the very informative post!
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