Dreaming of a bright Christmas

ABOUT 35 years ago, a small Christmas tree stood in the corner of a bank foyer in central Napier.

And under the tree were a couple of dozen gifts people had dropped off as part of an idea the bank folk had come up with - called Christmas Cheer.

A year or so later, the Napier paper at the time, The Daily Telegraph, decided to get on board and, as well as giving the cheer idea more widespread publicity, devoted a spot in its foyer for a tree and a place to drop off gifts, food and cash.

It was all about helping those less fortunate in the local community.

Those who wanted their families to be a part of the whole Christmas deal but struggled to make ends meet.

The idea more than grew over the next decade - it exploded.

I was working for the DT then and was assigned to keeping tabs on the Christmas Cheer Appeal.

One unforgettable day, a chap arrived for a planned interview with a reporter ... but he got no further than the foyer.

"I can't get through," he said with a wide smile.

The passageway from the foyer to the reporters' room had become so filled with donated gifts, toys and boxes and food there had been a sort of avalanche of goodies across the carpet.

"We should have brought a truck," one of the tireless cheer volunteers said after I called and asked if they could clear some of it out.

Getting goodies together for the community also spread to Hastings where the Herald Tribune got on board.

And it has continued since - with Hawke's Bay Today also putting its support behind this great "help make it a Merry Christmas" campaign.

Agencies such as the Napier City Council's community services and Family Works in Hastings steer the appeal, and when it comes time to prepare the parcels dozens of folk volunteer their time happily.

Things have been tough during the past few years and that has been reflected in a fall-off in donations.

But you have to think about that - if it's tough for folk who are getting along reasonably well at this challenging time of year then imagine how desperate it must be at the other end of the scale.

Social agencies and community groups do not have finite resources and effectively have to undertake a sort of juggling act to ensure all those needing assistance get a slice of the available pie - no matter how big or small the pie may be.

I remember greeting a mum and her two little kids who came in last year to drop off a couple of little goodies. The little girl would have been about 6 and had a little fluffy lion.

I asked her what made her want to help.

"So people aren't unhappy on Christmas Day," was all she said.

A little gift, a few crucial dollars to buy the staple foods for the parcels ... it's not too difficult, and I'm guessing that little lady will be back in this year.