On Christmas day, after copious amounts of turkey, mulled wine and mince pies, we’ve all been known to sit back and literally marvel at how much food we managed to ingest. As Michael Bublé’s album plays in the background and we prepare ourselves for Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas Special, life has never been better. But what about those who literally dream of a Christmas like ours?
Last year, more than 13 million people were living below the poverty line. With the rising cost of food, the problem for these families this Christmas won’t be whether they can buy their kids the latest iPhone, but whether they can put food on the table. An estimated 60.000 people will be forced to turn to food banks, such as the Trussell Trust Food Bank, with the food poverty crisis on the rise. Surprisingly, a very small amount of these people are homeless: most of them are working families who are simply struggling. The pressure to eat like kings and spend like no tomorrow means that families may well be having the worst day of the year on the 25th, instead of the best.
It is upsetting to think that Christmas has become yet another way for our society to demonstrate the shocking gap between people’s living standards in the UK. It is absurd for some to be getting the latest designer handbag whilst others are forced to hide their children’s toys until Christmas day to give them something to unwrap…
Without trying to detract from the festive cheer, it’s always good to remember that Christmas is probably more than ever the time to have a think about these issues and be grateful. If you’re feeling generous this Christmas, don’t hesitate to donate to charities and associations which help families get through the month of December. You could make the world of difference to someone’s day.
Photo Credits: www.donation4charity.org, www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk,