Home for Christmas

Not everyone will be able to get home this holiday season. For college students, separation from family for the first time is the hardest hurdle to get over. But there are ways to make your season a little brighter.

Nothing is more awe-inspiring than the wonder in a impoverished child’s eyes when he or she finds a special present under the tree. The best way to rid yourself of holiday homesickness is to help bring the Christmas season to someone who might not be able to find it for themselves.

Find the number of a local shelter for homeless families and adopt a family or a child for the holidays. This doesn’t have to cost a lot, because even small things make the children feel special. You can even get a group together to share the load.

Many homeless shelters serve Christmas dinners, and are always looking for volunteers, either to serve food, to help clean up, or just to help brighten the atmosphere. If you have a talent for drawing or crafts, make place mats or centerpieces to put on the tables. Or just offer to watch children.

Spending the holidays with people can help to fill that empty space in your heart. Many nursing homes have patients without family, or whose families are too far away to visit. Call and ask if you can come in to read, sing Christmas carols, or just drink cocoa and chat. You might learn something new from someone who’s seen a lot more than you have.

Being sick or injured is never much fun so why not brighten a hospital patient’s day? And what about the nurses and doctors on duty? Sing Christmas carols to the nurses, make cookies for the emergency room doctors. Get them to sing carols with you, and help everyone remember what the season of giving is all about.

Organize a gift exchange with others who are away from family. Small, inexpensive or funny gifts can be found at the local thrift store, or made by hand. If you’re laughing, you can’t be homesick.

All it takes to keep the loneliness at bay during the holiday is to do something nice for others. Count your blessings and share the season’s magic with others.

And remember to call your family on Christmas morning, because they probably miss you just as much as you miss them.