Columnist Erin Davoran discusses why being thankful during the holidays, when so many others are struggling, is especially important.
We’re almost there. It’s almost over. Break is so close we can feel it. After finals, most of us will leave the falling autumn leaves of Athens and go to our respective homes for Winter Break. We’ll put the stress of the end of Fall Semester behind us with tequila and Christmas cookies (that might just be me, but I doubt it). We’ll start jobs and or sit on our parents’ couches watching ABC Family’s "25 Days of Christmas." We’ll reunite with hometown friends and go to Ugly Christmas Sweater parties. We’ll celebrate the holidays, whatever they may be. We’ll have high expectations for a great New Year’s Eve and be disappointed the next day when it turns out to be just a regular party with fancy clothes (again, this may just be me, but I hope not). I’m really excited for all of it.
No matter what holidays you celebrate, there’s a common theme with all the special days surrounding the winter solstice: gifts. We get ‘em and we give ‘em. We are bombarded with commercials and deals to buy them. We pack into stores like sardines and leave malls with arms dragged down by bags. We participate in Secret Santa and White Elephant exchanges. We make lists and hope the sweaters our not-so-stylish relatives get us come with a gift receipt.
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Gifts are partially about getting, but I want to focus on the having. We just celebrated Thanksgiving and I know many people had to sit with their families before stuffing their faces and say what they are grateful for (kudos to my family for getting right down to the business of eating). I also know a lot of people ended their nights early, either to go straight to the store or to go to bed and wake up at the ass crack of dawn to go Black Friday shopping. A day full of gratitude followed by absolute greed. How nice.
If you were to say what you were thankful for after Black Friday shopping, would you list everything you had just purchased? OK, maybe if you had to list EVERYTHING you appreciated, but what about the top 10 things in your life? My top 10 would be something like this:
1. Loving parents
2. Caring sister
3. Annoying dog
4. Amazing friends
5. Crazy extended family
6. Food to eat
7. A house to live in
8. Warm clothes
9. Health
10. Education
Now, this would be my list after Black Friday. My list after Cyber Monday might be a different story. I’m more of an online shopper than a ‘fighting tooth and nail with a stranger at 6 a.m.’ shopper.
All joking aside, those are the things that matter to me most, and I think to others as well. Remember that as we buy, expect and receive gifts this holiday season. Remember what matters because a ridiculous amount of people don’t have these things.
According to the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development, 564,708 people were homeless on any given night in January 2015. Luckily, homelessness went down two percent from January 2014, but it’s still very high, especially considering nearly a quarter of the homeless population are children under the age of 18. Nine percent, or 52,973 people, are 18 to 24, aka college age. Our age.
Think of it this way: There are about 17,000 undergraduate students on the Athens Campus. The homeless population of people our age is more than triple our population. Think of how many people, kids really (there’s no way I’m an adult), don’t have a home to go to this Christmas.
Let’s go back a few weeks to another holiday, Veteran’s Day. My social media blew up with messages supporting our troops. We were off school, there was a parade, everyone was patriotic and appreciative.
And yet, 47,725 veterans were homeless on a single night in January 2015, according to HUD. Again, that number is down from almost 50,000 homeless vets in 2014, but STILL. If we are so patriotic and support our troops so much, why can’t we support them when they come home from war, battered and bruised and still fighting demons in their heads?
Homelessness is just part of it. Countless families can’t even afford food, let alone an abundance of presents under the tree. And more than 415,000 children were in the foster care system as of September 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
And this is just focusing on our country because:
1. We think America is so great and need to realize how many people are struggling and suffering here.
2. Getting into worldwide struggles like poverty, war, disease, etc. would make this column even longer than it already is.
I don’t mean to be a Debbie Downer (cue Rachel Dratch’s face from the legendary Saturday Night Live sketch) or make you feel guilty about everything you buy and receive this holiday season. And some of you might be struggling and find it assumptive of me to be saying everyone is spending tons of money on frivolous gifts with no cares in the world. I’m not obtuse. We all have our junk (avoiding a Spring Awakening reference here). We all have our struggles whether they be family, finances, health, etc.
Let’s remember that we all need help in some way and let’s try to help whoever we can whenever we can however we can. Let’s give. It doesn’t have to be monetary donations. Share a meal, write a soldier a letter, volunteer your time.
Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love this time of year and am grateful I get to spend it like I do surrounded by people I love and the securities like food and shelter I am #blessed to have. This column is a calling to me as much as it is to anyone to remember those who don’t have what really matters. A calling to do something about it so the season is all the more merrier for everyone.
Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Have a great new year. See you in 2016!
Erin Davoran is a senior studying journalism. What are you most thankful for this holiday season? Tweet her @erindavoran or email her at ed414911@ohio.edu.
