I had my first Christmas present today. Yes, I know it was early, but it came in a Christmas card & to be honest it was the kind of present I hate with a passion & can well do without.
Now, before you all shout "Bah Humbug!" or "Bloody Scrooge!" Let me tell you what the gift was:
It came attached to a Christmas card from a relative & it was..."The gift of light". What it is, is that this person has made a donation on my behalf to a charity that supposedly will provide a solar light to some poor family in the Third World somewhere thereby enabling them to get rid of a kerosene lamp. ( I am assuming that the person or family want to get rid of their prized kerosene lamp.)
To be honest ( & I do give to charity) this type of gift pisses me off big time.
It shows a complete lack of imagination, the person has assumed that I want to donate a 'gift of light' & it is , I believe, a lazy way of buying someone a present. And what guarantee is there, that the family will receive the donation & that its not just going to give some fat cat at the charity a bloody good Christmas this year?!
Now, before you all shout "Bah Humbug!" or "Bloody Scrooge!" Let me tell you what the gift was:
It came attached to a Christmas card from a relative & it was..."The gift of light". What it is, is that this person has made a donation on my behalf to a charity that supposedly will provide a solar light to some poor family in the Third World somewhere thereby enabling them to get rid of a kerosene lamp. ( I am assuming that the person or family want to get rid of their prized kerosene lamp.)
To be honest ( & I do give to charity) this type of gift pisses me off big time.
It shows a complete lack of imagination, the person has assumed that I want to donate a 'gift of light' & it is , I believe, a lazy way of buying someone a present. And what guarantee is there, that the family will receive the donation & that its not just going to give some fat cat at the charity a bloody good Christmas this year?!
Last year the same person brought me a bloody goat!! Well, not me, but for some bugger in Somalia! God knows but the bloody animal is probably long dead by now!
I'd love a real goat-I'd milk it, make cheese, & use it to cut my back lawn as well as it providing a nice little earner for me by me hiring it out to cut the neighbours grass, & me selling the cheese & milk-brilliant!
But it was not to be.- Instead it went to Somalia. I never received a letter from it signed with a little x or better still an inky hoof print. Nothing. Bugger all. I never even knew its name, let alone whether it was a Billy or a Nanny Goat. For now then lets call it 'My Mogadishu goat'.
But to be serious, if I wanted to buy or give a goat, sheep or a solar light to someone in the Third World or down the street for that matter I'd bloody well go & do it! So stop donating on my behalf. I'll give to charity where, when & to whom I want, not when you think I should.
I have a free will you know, give something from & by yourself.
You are soooooooooooo right!! I had to say this made me laugh...donating a light??? never heard of that before.
ReplyDeleteI think what/who we choose to donate to his highly personal and definitely not something that should be thrown in our faces making us feel FORCED or SHAMED into doing!
I donate all the time to various charities...as you said...I pick and choose who I want to donate to, not to what someone else says I should donate to!