It's late November and I'm panicking. I haven't even started my Christmas shopping. To be honest, I can't really face the crowded shopping centres and queues for the tills. I struggle with the extravagance and the atmosphere of buying to excess.

But there is one Christmas gift I have got sorted, one Christmas present which I know will make a difference.

By donating to Compassion's Christmas Appeal, you bless a child born into extreme vulnerability. In just two minutes you can send a child a reminder that somebody knows and somebody cares.

When you give to Compassion's Christmas appeal this Christmas, you can help them experience the joy and laughter of a Christmas dinner and party.

Here's how.

A Christmas gift they really need

From clothes to extra school supplies to food packages, Compassion project staff will be picking out an incredible 1.8 million gifts over the next couple of weeks. "I got my first pair of shoes for Christmas," describes Ronnie from Uganda. "It was really exciting! We used to go barefoot to school before that."

Beauty from Thailand received a blanket to keep her warm over the harsh winter months.  

A festive feast and the chance to just enjoy being kids.  

Project cooks are busy sourcing ingredients for fantastic Christmas dinners that children will love. These smiles from previous years say it all!

Enjoying a meat feast in Ghana.

Eating doughnuts called “bunuelos” in Colombia.

Check out the cake in Peru!

3. The opportunity to learn the Christmas story

This year, we're hosting more than 7,000 nativity plays where our church partners will share about the hope of Jesus with children and their families. Compassion graduate Richmond remembers how special this was: "300 children would come together to both celebrate Christmas [and] look back at the year and see how good God had been. Christmas became a day filled with joy and laughter." 

What's more, your Christmas gift may even foster generosity in a whole community

In the small island community of Taboso in Jailolo, Indonesia, Satriana is the Treasurer at Elim Student Centre. Every Christmas, she has the pleasure of distributing your generosity to the children and families.

A few years after the project opened, the staff at Elim began to hear about how their Christmas generosity was influencing neighbouring churches in the area.

“The centre giving gifts to children and their families has brought a great impact on the churches here. When we give, we set an example of generosity. We’ve seen that other churches have started a habit as well, a ritual of giving gifts to the poor on Christmas day,” shares Satriana.

In this community, where most families struggle to meet their own basic needs, the churches also have financial difficulties. But they saw in Elim’s example that even in your own hardship, it’s possible to be generous.

“It started with our church first, and now three other churches are doing the same as well,” says Satriana. “During the church services, the pastors now give sermons about having a heart to give. They discuss it with the church staff first about what to give. Some would give money, sometimes food, sometimes drinks. They would give it to single mums, single dads and families who need help.”

Your financial gift at Christmas reaches so much further than you can ever imagine. It’s fostering contagious generosity and compassion across the globe.

Make a difference to a child born into poverty - give them a gift this Christmas.

Donate to our Christmas Appeal today

_{Some quotes from this blog were originally shared by our friends at Compassion US}

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