Monday, December 9, 2024
“Christmas Seals”
On December 9, 1907, the American Red Cross sold its’ first Christmas Seal at a US Post Office in Delaware. The original Christmas Seals were not stamps; they held no monetary value. Instead, these stickers were purchased at post offices and placed on envelopes to help raise money and awareness in the fight against tuberculosis. Seeking to raise money for a Tuberculosis sanitarium, the seals sold out in less than a month and raised $3,000, ten times the amount they had hoped to raise.
Generosity during the Holidays seems to have always been popular. In fact, the month of December accounts for 26% of all charitable giving to nonprofits in the United States each year. The tax benefits to charitable giving weren’t enacted until 1917, so even before the tax breaks were initiated, Americans felt generous during the Holidays for their respective favorite causes.
Why do we feel more generous during the Holidays? Tax implications notwithstanding and accounting for holiday year-end bonuses, the Holidays are anchored by the birth of Jesus Christ, which emphasizes the concept of giving and spreading joy. Some experts believe that people are already in the giving mood by shopping for their loved ones (initiated by Christmas), so opening their wallets and purses a little wider to include charitable organizations is more likely in December.
Have you considered why you feel more generous this time of year? One doesn’t need to belong to a church or faith-related organization to understand the importance, because all nonprofits are in the same situation: they need help. So do the people standing on the street corner with cardboard signs know that people feel more generous, too, as their presence has increased in recent weeks.
Generosity is an important theme at Christmas. We don’t need much money to be generous, just a willing heart and mind. $1 can make a big difference for someone with nothing more than an empty stomach.
As we consider our giving budgets this year, consider being intentional about giving to charitable organizations, including the Church. Granted, giving to God through the local church is much different than giving to privately managed organizations, but the purpose remains the same: We are trying to assist those who are less fortunate than us.
“A generous person will be enriched, and the one who provides water for others will himself be satisfied.” (Proverbs 11:25, NET)