Defining a Poor Christmas

So when I was looking for a picture I could use for my post "The Poorest Christmas is the One that Everyone Remembers," I came across this picture and it touched my heart. Whenever I see pictures like this it makes me crazy and I start to think, "WHAT ARE WE DOING?"

"the sad image of a hopeless Christmas"

Photographer: Savas Kazantzides

Here is his description of the photo

"It is so difficult to express my feelings about this photo. Probably the saying that : a photo speaks, 1000 words" is true. For us westerners Christmas is the peak for our religious festivities. What a contdadiction to see a homeless, poor, devasted, hopeless person with a Santa Claus hat. For the history: I was passing the slam city- a part of the city of Chennai- where very poor families live.Some of them are fishermen, others just search among the rubbish to find something to eat. This poor old man was crawling among the stinky rubbish and took a good look at us stopped by, in a car. His looks still haunts me.... My contribution to Christmas and with a hope that we shall stop seeing images like those in the future..."

Here is another picture that someone shared with me on facebook.

I just think of all the money that we spend on needless things at Christmas and it makes me sad. Toys especially that will break, be forgotten, neglected and thrown away in just a matter of weeks or months.

It starts to make you re-think the definition of a what a poor Christmas really is. Because even without a tree to decorate, or fancy gifts to give, if you are reading this post you have a home, warm clothes, not to mention a computer (which we have come to know as a necessity of life;) or even a smart phone... You may not have family or health, life might not be ideal, but you are alive and God loves you. I don't know what else matters after that. 

I'm not saying that we shouldn't use our own money to bless our children and those we love, but if we are needlessly spending, we are forsaking the very reason God has blessed us with money. To be able to buy a few wants here and there or at certain times of the year is totally understandable, but can't we all do a little more to help others meet their needs? I know I can... 

So here's to doing more in 2012!!