Holiday season brings joy for many, but unfortunately, not for all

For many of us, the holiday season evokes memories of laughter and warmth, from George Bailey running through the streets of Bedford Falls shouting “Merry Christmas!” to Adam Sandler delighting Saturday Night Live audiences with performances of his Hanukkah song.Unfortunately, many people find in the holidays not joy but stress, not celebration but desolation, not hope but heartbreak. We pass such victims of society every day when walking by homeless shelters or passing panhandlers on the sidewalk. Their hopes are not to get that last bit of shopping done at Target or Kohl’s this upcoming weekend, but rather for more elemental needs: shelter, clothing, food.How especially difficult it must be to be a child in poverty, growing up in a society satiated with images of plenty – from department-store toy sections to television commercials showing beaming youngsters with the latest Bratz or Shrek accessories – and having all of it beyond your reach. And how particularly poignant it must be for that child’s parents, who so desire to share some holiday cheer with their son or daughter but are unable to do so because of the whims of fortune.Children in poverty have moved us in the past, from Tiny Tim, whose troubles ultimately bring help from Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” to Cosette, the victim of the greedy Thenadiers in Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables,” to Charlie Bucket, who receives a lift from poverty with a Golden Ticket from Willy Wonka in Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” There are also real-life stories, however, some of which occur on the streets and homes of our city.One Item Santa letter, for instance, comes from a single mother of five children, three boys and two girls, whose ages range from 11 to 19. The money she makes from her job at Stop & Shop is spent on rent bills and food, and with no government assistance, she has difficulties providing gifts for her children.This holiday season offers festive days for people from many different religions: Christmas for Christians, Hanukkah for Jews, and Ramadan for Muslims. But because of the mercilessness of poverty, the holiday season cannot be enjoyed equally by everyone who celebrates.A donation to the Item Santa represents one way toward solving the situation. Helping a poor child and his or her parents enjoy a special time of the year shows the ultimate aim of the holiday season: a call for all of us to show the kindness that permeates our hearts, that shows, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, “the better angels of our nature.” Let that side of us be present for a poor child at a time when he or she needs it most.To make a donation to Item Santa, clip the coupon in today’s Item or download one and mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, P.O. Box 951, Lynn, MA 01903.For more information, call the Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.