Holidays highlight need for charity

As the holiday season approaches, many people regress into their own little worlds of childhood memories and holiday lore that define the season associated with overcoming the approaching winter: a time of warmth during the cold of winter and a time of light during the darkest days of the year. And while that regression to happier times may be necessary for people to cope with the real world, they cannot forget that the real world does not cease to exist because Christmas lights are strung or Thanksgiving turkeys are carved. People cannot leave their guards down simply because it is the holidays and they feel that everyone is in the "holiday spirit." With the secularization and commercialization of the holidays, pressure is applied by society to have "happy holidays."

For those without the means to do so, the season highlights the fact that they are without. For some of those people, it brings them closer together in their faith or in their bonds as families. For others, they grow more desperate and see the season as an opportunity to target people who are not paying attention. With that pressure to have a happy holiday and the culture of innocence and purity that exists with the season, those who are victimized fall farther back to reality than they would have otherwise and perhaps would never have been victimized had they not gotten caught up with the spirit of the season.

In keeping with the theme of not losing track of reality, people must also remember that the holidays do not fix the problems of the world, not even during the brief moments that they are opening presents, trick-or-treating or watching the football games after Thanksgiving dinner. All it takes is a trip down the road in almost any direction off of campus to realize that there will be a lot of people who will have next to nothing this holiday season. These people should not be forgotten, because their situation will not get better as more people around the city put up Christmas trees. Their situation is usually intensified with the coming of winter.

I know it is cliché this time of year to say to give to charity, but it still needs to be said. The saying has become almost as much of the background as the Santa Claus set-ups in the malls that people forget to take notice. And while there is the stereotype of the broke college student (who feels that he has redefined the word broke and could not possibly give to the poor or the homeless because even they are not as broke as a college student), the truth is that most college students are not as bad off as they believe. For most, their parents will still lend a hand when they need it, and some are completely supported by their parents, or could be if they were to ask. I have to hold down two jobs on top of classes in order to pay the bills and am several thousand dollars in debt from loans for tuition, and yet I am still in better shape than the people you will see walking down the street asking for change and those who live just off campus in the poorer neighborhoods of the city. I have what every other college student has, the promise that once I graduate, I will make something of my life; I will be successful and this life of living pay check to pay check will end.

For many less fortunate, they do not have that same promise or any kind of hope for a brighter future. Hope is what this season is all about and to be able to provide even a shred of hope to those who never had a chance before is the best thing a person can give during this season when the calendar is moving us ever closer to the cold and dark of the winter. Whether it is giving time or money, even the smallest contribution will be greatly appreciated by someone, because without that contribution, they would have had nothing.

It is true that college students do not have much, but they have the promise of a better tomorrow, which is something more comforting and more fulfilling during this time than a couple dollars or some canned foods. Keep that in mind the next time a homeless person asks for some change, or a food drive is set up in your neighborhood. Above all, simply make sure you do not lose track of reality, and take measures to make sure that you and those around you are able to have a happy holiday.