People say there's a war on Christmas because stores galore have replaced "Merry Christmas" with "Happy Holidays." (Home Depot, CVS Pharmacy, Barnes&Noble, Staples, SuperVALU, Victoria's Secret...to name a few.) But the bigger war on Christmas lies in its blatant paradox. Holidays, especially Christmas, are often anything but happy. The very term "happy holidays" connotes oxymoron for many.
Moms are expected to provide the latest toys, gadgets and fashion for their kids--and a Grinch-proof, sumptuous feast. Fathers, for the most part, have to fork the bill and complete their honey-do task list to make it all happen. And kids expect such great things -- and not just from Kohls but from every store there is -- that even a millionaire Santa would have a hard time fulfilling their wish-list. It's too much.
But here's where it gets really oxymoronic: the struggling hopes of children who have no mothers or fathers. No one to find them gifts. No one to provide a feast of laughter. The orphans and foster children. They are the ones who suffer most at Christmas.
Thank God there are organizations such as Sleep Train providing their facilities for people to drop off toys and new clothes for the foster children--and generous people dropping gifts off. But nothing replaces the need for a family.
In San Diego alone, some 3, 000 children still await a forever family. Organizations such as Adopt8 and Olive Crest work hard to find compatible, loving families. But the ratio of orphan and available parents is never level.
If San Diego is going to succeed in helping its children, the whole community must be involved. Churches, families, schools, neighbors, individuals . . . 'Tis the season to come together and help those who have not.
One community organization that is known for giving back and helping children is the YMCA (originally called the Young Men's Christian Association but now known mostly simply as the "Y"). Although their Christian heritage is easily forgotten--maybe not helped by the fact they'v succumbed to the pressure to replace the word "Christmas" with "holidays"--the Y honors family values.
The *Mottino Family YMCA in Oceanside is hosting a Holiday Bazaar this week as part of their own fundraiser (a worthwhile cause since they give scholarships to needy children), and as a means to help its members' small businesses. Vendors will sell anything from jewelry to candles to a plethora of miscellaneous Christmas gifts. (Orphans First will have its own booth selling an eclectic spread with all profits going to help the orphans.) It promises to be a fun and worthwhile event.
Merry Christmas.
*Side-note: funeral mass for Mary Mottino, generous sponsor of Oceanside's YMCA who passed last week, was held on Monday in Vista.
Janey L. DeMeo M.A.
Copyright © December 2010
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