Whether you are barbequing on the beach at Bondi or sipping mulled cider and munching fruitcake in front of a fire while watching the snow falling outside, for most people the holiday season is a time for family and feasting.

However, some people, particularly the elderly, spend the holiday alone without the holiday trimmings. Many of them depend on community services such as Meals on Wheels to provide a daily hot meal during the week. Yet Meals on Wheels doesn’t operate on holidays. There are community groups that hold well advertised holiday meals for the elderly, the hungry and the homeless, but not every one can or will attend these meals.

For a number of years my family contacted our local Council on Aging and found out the names of seniors who would be at home, alone, for the holidays and volunteered to take a holiday meal to them. So when the turkey came from the oven, the first slices joined cranberry sauce, other side dishes, and the pumpkin pie in boxes and baskets to be taken to the people we had offered to feed.

It didn’t take long to deliver the food, but the appreciation for our efforts was amazing. Our dinners might have been slightly cooler, but our hearts were definitely warmer.

We are bombarded with pleas for help in the weeks during the holiday season—some organizations collect money while others gather toys. Those organizations are important for the outreach they do. However, sometimes when we give to them, we forget how we can individually and personally make a difference in someone’s life.

At this time of year I am always reminded of a story which can be found in many forms on the web. The author of the story seems to be shrouded in mystery, but it is sometimes attributed to Loren Eisley. I am sure the author won’t mind my sharing my favorite variant of the tale.

Early one morning an elderly gentleman took his daily walk along the beach as the tide was going out. In the distance, he saw what appeared to be a young man dancing at the water’s edge. Curious as to why youth was dancing, the older man approached and saw that the young man was picking up starfish which had been washed ashore with the high tide and throwing them back into the water.

“What are you doing?” the older man asked.

“If the starfish aren’t put back into the sea, they will die,” the younger man replied.

“But young man, don’t you realize there are miles of beach and hundreds of starfish,” the older man commented. “You can’t possibly make a difference.”

The younger man stopped, picked up a starfish and flung it back into the sea. Turning to the old man he simply said, “It made a difference to that one.”

As you plan your holiday meal, consider beginning a new holiday tradition. Share your meal with someone who might not otherwise have a special dinner. It can make a difference to “that one”.

Clio