Make every day Christmas and change world

With Christmas quickly approaching, thoughts of holiday traditions, family and friends consume our thoughts. Christmas is a time of joy. Literally the gleeful anticipation of the holidays permeates the air so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

However, amongst the joy and preparations, a small twinge of guilt haunts the dusty corners of our brains. This time of year, donations will pour into local charities and volunteers will suddenly appear out of thin air. Then just as suddenly as the "holiday rush" of volunteers and donations hit, they will be gone. Donations will dwindle and volunteers will basically disappear.

Why is it that Christmas is the giving season? Is it because we are grateful for all that we have been given and we wish to give back to the community? Or is it that we are guilty and secretly hope that donations and volunteering for a few hours during the holidays will soothe the guilty conscious?

We have all seen the ads on TV, the ones that ask for a dime a day and promise that with just a small donation we can save a life. Those ads run year round and people look right past them. But as soon as you slap a Santa costume on a jolly-looking gentleman or stick a celebrity in a group of starving kids all dressed in Santa hats, people suddenly seem to care.

I'm honestly confused; why does it take the holidays to bring out society's charitable side? Giving to the less fortunate, volunteering and caring about other people are year-round activities. So why don't we pitch in and help at other times besides Christmas?

Materialism is a central theme in society today, and that's not necessarily a bad thing unless people lose sight of what's really important. Around the holidays people tend to focus on what is truly important: love and caring for one another. But as the year progresses, people get so caught up in their own lives and daily routines that it can be difficult to see that there is so much more to this life than working, eating and sleeping. In the end people aren't going to remember what you did for yourself, they are going to remember how you helped others and how you changed the world.

Changing the world is a daunting thought. Many assume this means accomplishing impossible feats and often times they discredit their ability to do such a thing. However, the smallest thing can make all the difference. It does not take the world to change one person; but rather, it can take one person with an open heart to change the world.

The other day the question, "Why should you help strangers?" was posed to me. My response was instantaneous: "Why shouldn't I help them?" We all have the power to change the world, it's just a matter of making the choice to step up and take a chance. Deciding to take that chance will change the world, along with your community.

Volunteering and donating at Christmastime are great, but remember that there are 364 other days of the year too. Perhaps it would do us all well if we were to keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts year round, and love our neighbors and communities all year long.

Megan Leonardi is a senior at Fremont High School. She likes to write, read and spend time with family and friends. E-mail her at meleonardi@msn.com.