Over the festive period, many families come together to celebrate Christmas and to appreciate one another. Sometimes we can be so wrapped up in our own Christmas festivities that we don’t notice those around us who are lonely and struggling. But what does it feel like to be lonely at Christmas and how can we help those who are?
There are roughly 320,000 homeless people living across the UK. Majority of these will be lonely on Christmas Day but some are lucky enough to get the help of charities that provide some company for the day. Small charities such as Hanwell homeless provide a Christmas dinner on this special day so that homeless people can feel accepted and valued. Lots of volunteers sign up to serve the food on Christmas Day as a gift in this time of giving. Volunteers from last year’s Christmas day said that their experience was ‘rewarding’ and ‘beneficial’ for not just the homeless people but the volunteers themselves as they learnt what it’s like to live on the streets. Some charities go one step further by allowing families to invite homeless people into their homes for the day so that they can feel a part of something and feel loved. The families that take part in this feel the same way as the volunteers as they are told exactly what the experience is like.
To conclude, if anybody is looking for a way to brighten someone else’s Christmas, this is certainly the way as it can really help an individual and can even help you in some ways. Every homeless person that receives an opportunity to have a Christmas meal is extremely grateful and it restores their faith in society. Helping homeless person on Christmas Day can assist you in growing in understanding of homelessness and why is such a big problem for so many people today.
