日常英語(yǔ) 人們?cè)谑フQ節(jié)樂(lè)善好施

圣誕節(jié)對(duì)不同的人有不同的意義。有些人最喜歡的是收到禮物，但對(duì)于其他一些人來(lái)說(shuō)是裝扮圣誕老人來(lái)幫助那些窮困、年老和孤獨(dú)的人們。

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I'll be working this Christmas. My job? Santa Claus! White beard and red clothes are optional. I'll be joining thousands of volunteers in Britain who go and help homeless and elderly people as well as poor children.

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Solidarity comes to life at this time of the year. It's cold and many people feel lonely. I'll be there for them. I was inspired by a woman in Scotland - Beatrice Cadell has just celebrated her 80th birthday and instead of presents for her, she asked her friends to buy toys. They'll be donated to a toy bank - free toys for children whose parents can't afford to buy them any.

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Cadell said: "Everyone that turned up to my birthday do was absolutely brilliant! Somebody else can benefit. We don't need it. We're old."

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There are plenty of places which welcome a helping hand at Christmas. The charity Crisis at Christmas, for example, has been looking for more than 10,000 volunteers to assist guests in their centres for homeless people. Volunteers with specialist skills like dentists, hairdressers, lorry drivers and performers are particularly welcome.

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Another organisation, Community Christmas, is keen on volunteers who wish to offer companionship to lonely, elderly people on Christmas Day – it can be over a full lunch or just a cup of tea. They have a website with a location page so that good Samaritans can register their interest in helping out and find out more.

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Scrooge is a character very much associated with this time of year. He's the central figure in A Christmas Carol, a classic by the English writer Charles Dickens. Scrooge is a selfish man who only helps himself. In the world of volunteering, there's no Scrooge in sight. We're all proud and happy Santas. Merry Christmas!