The Gift of Giving

John Faith
December 4, 2014

The Generosity of Federal Employees

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Often we think of charitable giving this time of year. We often think about which charity to make a donation to. Every charity is not a charity. The message is that every charity is not reputable and monies are ill-gained not to the benefit of those crooks exploit to fill their pockets. There are some charities we all know – the red buckets outside of grocery stores and in some malls are familiar fixtures. There are some other very reputable charities doing good things to better humanity.

If you are in doubt as to the validity of a charity, do some research. Most of us have access to the internet or other sources of information and it just makes sense to know where your money is going. It is also the time of year where we give thanks to the blessings we have and our ability to take care of our families and even have something extra left over. That is certainly not the case for many families and children during this holiday season.

If you can give to a reputable charity, then do so. Many charities provide food, cloth and shelter to families who would otherwise go without. One of my favorite charities this time of year is – Toys for Tots. It is hard for me to imagine a child waking up on Christmas morning without something under the tree to unwrap. Beautiful and joyful memories come to mind when I think of Christmas morning. The smells in our house were indescribable, absolutely delicious. The decorations had been up for weeks, candles in the windows, a wreath on the door and oranges and apples everywhere.

Imagine – all of this stuff happened before the unwrapping of gifts and then you played all day with the wonderful, magical things Santa had brought all because you had been good. I remember finding it very hard to sleep on Christmas Eve and Mama would tell me if I didn’t close my eyes and go to sleep, Santa was not going to stop by our house. I guess I went to sleep because the next thing I would hear was my mother’s voice saying – wake up to see what Santa left for you.

Every child deserves to live a life so they can recall wonderful memories and share the stories of Christmas that can only be seen from a child’s eyes. In giving to your favorite charity, if it is a reputable charity, your donations are tax deductible. Remember as the Christmas Season draws near, before we know it will be tax season. Giving is a good feeling from the heart and you get something back in more ways than one.