Christmas Jumper Day

The holidays are drawing near, and in most cultures, it's about time for some vacation and a bit of celebration. My house is decorated, the malls are plastered with sales. For the fellow citizen of the Northern hemisphere, the temperature outside is just a bit below freezing-your-butt-off degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, all this cold weather calls for a few things, like hot chocolate and a seat by a warm fireplace. There's nothing quite like huddling up with your friends and family on an evening in the snow. There's also nothing quite so itch-inducing and warm as a wool sweater, which brings me to Christmas Jumper Day.

Christmas Jumper Day, happening today, right now, in the UK, is how Save the Children is raising money this holiday season. Save the Children (a charity whose purpose I shall explain further in a moment) is encouraging people to wear a Christmas 'jumper', and to donate one pound if you do. All of this money goes to providing children in developing countries with life saving services (food or clothing, even education).

I learned about this event through BBC's Sherlock (another piece of evidence that fandom can change the world). I thought it was really cool. Get people to become more aware of a charity's presence, as well as more aware of situations in developing countries? Heck yeah, that's awesome. Not gonna lie, I did eventually go out to get my own 'jumper' (I was conveniently already in need of a warmer sweater). And I wore it, absolutely warmed by the garment itself and the message carried with it: save the children.

Some people will complain that most people throw their money at charities purely to feel good about themselves. These people can be designated as the 'no hopers'. Yes, there may just be a population of people with no true sense of giving. However, to those no hopers, I give you a story that may just give you a bit more hope for the human race (or perhaps that there are still people who simply do the right thing. Your pick).

I was driving to the mall just after a class this morning. At the intersection before hopping on the highway, there was a bit of a mishap. I'm not sure if they ran out of gas or killed the engine and the cold wasn't very accommodating in the effort to restart it. Whatever the case, they were blocking a lane of cars from getting through the intersection. One guy was in the car steering and his buddy was trying to push the car by himself. At this point, I have just pulled up to the light, am about to hop out of my car, when I notice some fabulousness. Not one, not two, but three people were walking out of their cars to help out. Needless to say, I drove away, unable to keep a smile off my face.