Meet the modern-day Mrs Claus
FOR most people, Christmas is a time for family and friends. But for many others, the festive season can be lonely and unforgiving. Which is why this 73-year-old spends Christmas Day helping others.
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FOR most people, Christmas is a time for family and friends to gather together. But for many others, the festive season can be lonely and unforgiving. Which is why this 73-year-old humanitarian spends Christmas Day helping others.
We all have a fantasy of what Christmas should be like. We have a vision of those perfect gifts under the perfect tree, of being surrounded by family and friends. But many people don’t have this, because they live alone in poverty and isolation.
I have been living at Gethsemane Community home in Sydney with mentally ill and intellectually disabled people for 27 years. I help my housemates develop life skills so they can go out into the world and live independently.
I know that for many people like them, the festive season can be a particularly lonely one.
On Christmas Day, I sit down for lunch with around 70 people. I set up trestle tables for all the food: turkey, ham, potato salad, the lot.
It’s an open house, so I end up being joined by residents from the local boarding houses and group homes. We share a meal, talk and laugh.
I am a little like a modern-day Mrs Claus; I run The Christmas Project and spend virtually the entire year planning for this one day. Each year, we give out around 850 presents. I get a list of names from aged-care facilities, boarding houses and drug rehab clinics. I have a diverse team of volunteers — some are ex-prisoners, or simply local people I meet at the shops.
A number of schools help me, too. We give out toiletries, socks and lollies, and write each person their own Christmas card. And we make up about 400 hampers to deliver to clients of mental health teams who live alone.
It makes me cry when I see how excited the recipients get over receiving such simple things. Razors are a huge hit, as they are expensive. I was in Coles once with a trolley filled with shavers during a mid-year buy-up and a woman stared at me.
“Hairy legs?” she asked.
I have no idea what religious beliefs the people we help hold. I don’t ask them; who cares? You cannot offer support and also force your faith onto others at the same time.
My mother passed away when she was 97. She was a sole parent who often cooked us Christmas lunch and walked out before she could eat it as she had to work; I know what poverty feels like. She was tremendously giving, not just to us, but to others. I could spend Christmas with my brother and sister, but they understand this is my Christmas now.
I think Mum would be proud.
For more information on The Christmas Project, visit gethsemanecommunity.org.au.
SISTER MYREE’S ADVICE FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE AT CHRISTMAS:
1. Give. Don’t just spend money buying items for people who really don’t need more things.
2. Connect. If you can’t open your home at Christmas, at least open your heart.
3. Reflect. If we are blessed, we should strive to be appreciative.
Originally published as Meet the modern-day Mrs Claus
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