Does anybody read these?

Holiday Giving

I believe that a huge part of the Christmas holidays (or any holidays, really) is what you give back to those who are less fortunate, how you brighten other people's holidays. I always give for the giving tree. This will be the first year in a long time that I won't be going to the juvenile detention center to take cookies and do Christmas crafts with the teenage girls. I've always given a lot at Christmastime.

Somewhere along the way our family got in this tradition of adopting a family for Christmas. We have a big family, and we always raised quite a bit of money. So, then it became a few families and we also put together Christmas food baskets. We've helped a lot of people with this tradition. Each year, a different family representing my dad and his 11 siblings (some are my cousins since one aunt and one uncle have passed on), picks the families in need. In all our years of doing this, there have been a few controversial choices. And there have been times that people have decided not to give for one reason or another. Sometimes they give their money elsewhere, sometimes they give nothing at all.

There have been times that I wasn't sure if I wanted to give or not, and I know that is awful. I feel absolutely terrible about it. This year is the first year, that I am seriously contemplating not giving and I know that it defeats the purpose of Christmas. It's not that I'd forgo charitable giving altogether, just bypass the family collection.

You see, my uncle is a con artist. A real legitimate con artist, with a record to prove it. And like most con artists, he's smart enough to do whatever he wants in life, but he's always looking for an easy score. A few years ago he left his family to have a baby with another woman. (Did I mention that his new daughter is younger than his oldest daughter's kids?) Well, now he doesn't work and pretty much lives on the dole and doesn't seem very interested in supporting his new daughter and the lady he made a baby with. So, I'm having serious issues giving him my hard-earned cash because he's down on his luck. Part of me feels like we are all the marks in his latest con. The money is supposed to go to help him, the girlfriend and the little girl, so maybe I should feel the urge to be giving. After all, that little girl didn't do anything to hurt anyone. Maybe it's not my gripe to have. But I spend all day working in nonprofit fundraising where I have to justify to very smart donors why they want to give to us. I like to think I'm a very smart donor. So, I just keep thinking of all the organizations that could really do some good with my donation, and I'm torn.

I guess I'll just keep praying about it. I know that I am not going to the fundraising dinner to help them supplement the donations that's happening tomorrow night. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

posted by Laura at 6:52 PM