The Joy of One

As the holiday season fast approaches I want to focus on what part of the season means to me: the spirit of giving.  As you probably will agree, some of us enjoy this season so much that we celebrate it all year long.  We haven't lost that Christmas spark that so many have lost.  We know that warm feeling everyone feels on Christmas morning is deep inside of us and it sometimes needs a little nudging to come out.

Every year many charities knock on our door, or call, asking for a small donation to help out those who don't have the means to celebrate the season.  We give as much as we can afford, but in these tough times we've had to say "No. I'm sorry."  more often than we would like to.  I would like to propose another option: give one thing.

Hear me out.  What purpose would that make?  How can my one donation make a difference?  Here's the challenge.  At your church or local school, ask each person, or family, if they could spare one can of food.  Just one can.  Doesn't seem like that much to ask.  Almost everyone can spare one can of beans, or vegetables, or soup and it probably won't make that much of a dent in your cupboard or pocketbook. 

So, now have them all bring their cans on the Sunday (or whatever day you choose).  Now, you have fifty or one hundred people bringing one can each.  You now have 50 or 100 cans of food and no one feels put out or pressured.  Visit you local food bank and I'm sure they would be really impressed with your efforts.

The spirit of giving doesn't have to stop there.  One week could be each person brings one potato.  The next week, one carrot.  Then one onion.  Pick vegetables that can keep a while.  Then get together with your neighbours or church group and have a cooking bee for the community.  Or donate the food to a local soup kitchen.

The power of one can help celebrate the reason Christmas means so much to all of us.  The spirit of giving is alive and well.

Happy Holidays!