A Christmas Carol

I love the classic Charles Dickens' tale, "A Christmas Carol". And while I know that I am not alone in this, it is even more present in my mind tonight.Here as I sit here wondering if I have enough money to buy the top items on my kids' Christmas lists while there are people who are wondering if they have enough money to feed their children. The food banks are running out of peanut butter (one of the most requested items) because the price has gone up. Donations are down because so many who donated in the past now stand in the same lines for help.There are people who show up at Wal-Mart and other 24 hour stores at 12:01 on the 1st of each month because their Food Stamps just downloaded and they have gone hungry for days. And I worry about an X-Box 360!I am reminded of the scene from the story wherein the otherwise cheerful Ghost of Christmas Present reveals that beneath his lush green robes, two horrors stand. Two dirty, starving, clawing children hide in the darkness. Their names are "Want" and "Ignorance". These two plaques on humanity are the creators of so much strife and sadness. And so unnecessarily.Wow! How ignorant can I be of the want and need in others' lives. My children will have a blessed and happy Christmas no matter what sits beneath the tree. They will be safe in a home they can call their own. Maybe not the biggest but they know it is there always. They will have full tummies. And yes, they will have new toys in which to delight.So I am going to try to keep Christmas rather than simply celebrate it. And in that spirit, I am committing to filling at least one bag for the local food pantry, no matter what that means to my budget. It won't solve the world's problems, but imagine what would happen if we could all do that. Even committing to buy one extra item to toss in the barrel at your local store's checkout could mean the difference between a mom crying herself to sleep after tucking in her hungry children. I am actually choking back tears as I write this.I admit it. I hope I can make my children's Christmas wishes come true. I would be a liar to say otherwise or to pretend that I am going to take an entire paycheck to the local shelter. I am not. But I can do this. I will do this.What can you do?