A different Christmas

Every day is the right one to be in solidarity, but solidarity is a must at Christmas. In fact, the Christmas period has always been the time of the year when, more than any other, solidarity and social inclusion initiatives are concentrated. Markets, lunches, meetings, workshops, concerts and shows which, especially around Christmas, tend to take on a solidarity dimension and which see the involvement (or as final recipients) in need, disadvantaged categories, victims of various types of marginalization. In fact, Christmas is forgetting oneself for a while and finding time for others, it is the spirit of giving without the thought of receiving. However, I feel I can say that concepts such as solidarity and the help of others, especially if in difficulty, should not manifest themselves only and exclusively at Christmas but characterize our daily actions. In this paper I would like to point out some solidarity and inclusion initiatives that can be carried out during the Christmas holidays. First of all, we should think of destitute families who have to deal with the advancing poverty, donating part of their spending to them. Then they should donate some of their time to children, the elderly, hospitalized, orphanages and educational communities. The project could be called “The smile” and you could spend one of the Christmas evenings with them, giving them gifts and making them feel the warmth of a family. The doors of the house could be opened to welcome a new guest who comes from afar, an immigrant. An invitation that smells of knowledge, social inclusion, hospitality. In addition, the various Christmas shows and concerts organized by schools or various cultural associations could provide for the payment of a ticket and the proceeds could be used for aggregation and socialization initiatives to encourage inclusion, even for children with disabilities and prevent problems. Such as social hardship, early school leaving and bullying.