Goodwill for all at Christmas
What does Christmas really mean to young people today?
| I feel for young people in hospital. I can see their faces when they’re thinking about Christmas... |
Don’t ruin Christmas
Christmas-time, mistletoe and wine? Maybe for us, but there are places in the world that aren't as lucky as us. We expect and get presents from our parents but our parents have the money to do that.
Some kids don't and they're just glad to be alive which in some ways is good because it shows presents aren't the be-all and end-all of Christmas.
Even if you expect presents, it doesn't mean to say you're actually going to receive them. There are more burglaries at this time of year when kids get Christmas spoiled for them just because someone wants to spend the money on drugs or booze. Christmas should be a time for goodwill - instead it is often a time for easy targets. It should be a time for fun, not a time for having your presents stolen for no good reason at all. We've been burgled, so I know what it feels like to lose things you value. The whole family suffers because of it.
For many people Christmas is a time of worry, perhaps because we expect things to be OK at this time of year. Last week, a nineteen month old girl, Ffion Fisk was stabbed with a hypodermic needle in a Lincoln park. As her mum says Christmas is like a black cloud hanging over them, wondering whether the little girl will be alright.
We should remember how lucky we are and be thankful for spending Christmas with our families.
Mark Lewis, 14
Sparing a thought
For me Christmas is nothing special, but I would not say that for a little child. Children see Christmas as a chance to nag their mothers to take them to see Father Christmas in town.
One thing I do like is the fact I tend to get everything I want! I think I'm very lucky as I always get great presents and I get to spend time with people who want me.
I think it's important to celebrate Christmas as it's a festive time of the year when families should get together. To think that there are people unhappy at Christmas without any family or homeless is sad.
A lot of people today forget the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. I also think of all the charities that try and work for kids at this time of the year.
People should spare a thought for Third World countries where some children haven't got any family. A lot of these children have lost their parents and other family members through war and violence. While young people in this country want the latest and the most expensive toys, those children in the war-torn countries only want peace.
Wesley Taylor, 14
Help for abroad
When I was younger Christmas was a time to get new presents and new toys but now I tend to think about less fortunate kids, like young people who live on the streets who won't see any presents this Christmas, even clothes or proper food. There are plenty of people who will be cold and lonely this winter despite all the flash adverts telling you otherwise. The government have also suggested that people don't give money to the homeless this year, but to charities instead. Fair enough, but it might come too late for some young people.
Last year Children's Express did a feature on kids in hospital at Christmas. The Sheffield Children's Hospital, as we found out, does a great job but it's not the same for young people away in there; they don't get the fun of dressing the tree or putting up decorations, or being with family.
You also have to think about young people in less fortunate countries. They probably don't even know what Christmas is - at least, our version of it.
I'd like to see presents being collected up so that they can be sent abroad so that others could at least experience 'Christmas'. I know this happens most years but there's not been much publicity this time round.
David Burnham, 15
Not so great for them
What is Christmas really about? We know it's the day Jesus was born, but how do people celebrate it?
In Jamaica they celebrate Christmas but differently from Britain. Jamaicans normally have big dances, parties, go to clubs and enjoy themselves for who and what they are, rather than simply families meeting up and stuffing their faces with the same old plain boring turkey, carrots, roast potatoes etc.
Christmas for me is a pleasure with the presents I get, but you can't avoid the homeless. I really have feelings for them because Christmas is a great day for us, but for people without a roof over their heads they must feel nothing. They must feel worse than nothing because Christmas is thrown in their faces all the time.
How do you enjoy it if you have nothing ? There are plenty of people in this world, including Sheffield, who worry themselves sick about how to pay for things and if there's enough food for the family.
Jasmine Stewart, 13
Decoration time
Christmas is a festive part of the year when families should be together, a time of the year for celebrating. Most people have parties, some don't. Homeless people have nothing, no presents, no Christmas dinner, no nothing.. I feel for these young people. I feel for young people in hospital over the Christmas period. I can see their faces when they're thinking about Christmas, and what their brothers and sisters are doing.
The thing I love most about Christmas is seeing the decorations going up. It's really nice to drive past houses in your car and see them all lit up. It gives me a really warm feeling inside.
I'm like a kid at Christmas. The usual story - on Christmas Eve I can't sleep. I get up about 6am, so my mam tells me to get back in bed. In the end we compromise and all get up at 7 o' clock and open our presents!
Amy Ward, 13
Fun for the family
To me, Christmas is not just about giving each other presents. It's about spending time with your family and having fun, and thinking about other people.
The time before Christmas is fun, hanging up decorations, decorating Christmas trees, and wrapping presents.
But if Christmas is about family, what about those people who don't have one, or who have suffered a loss ? How do the parents of missing children feel, with Christmas coming up?
What will Sara Payne's parents be thinking now they know she won't be with them?
Ten-year old Damilola Taylor was stabbed to death last week in South London. On Saturday his dad flew in from Nigeria to see the spot where his son was killed.
Christmas is a great time if you've got your family, the opposite if you haven't. Just open any newspaper to see whether every young person or their family will be looking forward to Christmas this year.
Kimberley Bennett and Rachel Walmsley, 13
About the story
This article was published in the Sheffield Star.
