圣诞对不一样的人有不一样的意义。有的人最喜欢的是收到礼物，但对于其他一些人来讲是装扮圣诞节老人来帮助那些穷困、年老和孤独的大家。
Ill be working this Christmas. My job? Santa Claus! White beard and red clothes are optional. Ill be joining thousands of volunteers in Britain who go and help homeless and elderly people as well as poor children.
Solidarity1 comes to life at this time of the year. Its cold and many people feel lonely. Ill be there for them. I was inspired by a woman in Scotland - Beatrice Cadell has just celebrated2 her 80th birthday and instead of presents for her, she asked her friends to buy toys. Theyll be donated to a toy bank - free toys for children whose parents cant afford to buy them any.
Cadell said: Everyone that turned up to my birthday do was absolutely brilliant! Somebody else can benefit. We dont need it. Were old.
There are plenty of places which welcome a helping3 hand at Christmas. The charity Crisis at Christmas, for example, has been looking for more than 10,000 volunteers to assist guests in their centres for homeless people. Volunteers with specialist skills like dentists, hairdressers, lorry drivers and performers are particularly welcome.
Another organisation4, Community Christmas, is keen on volunteers who wish to offer companionship to lonely, elderly people on Christmas Day it can be over a full lunch or just a cup of tea. They have a website with a location page so that good Samaritans can register their interest in helping out and find out more.
Scrooge is a character very much associated with this time of year. Hes the central figure in A Christmas Carol, a classic by the English writer Charles Dickens. Scrooge is a selfish man who only helps himself. In the world of volunteering, theres no Scrooge in sight. Were all proud and happy Santas. Merry Christmas!