Butler Eagle file photo

There is so much turmoil around the world, it would seem that choosing gifts to give this Christmas would be extremely easy. The biggest ones always are up there at the top of the list, but are always the toughest to fill.

World peace doesn’t happen easily. Neither does improved health, and we can cross off the dream of a united effort by politicians to do right by the people who elected them.

But some other things can be attainable — if not completely, at least in part. This past week, thanks to the team efforts by Butler County District Attorney Rich Goldinger and the Sons of Italy, coats were collected which will then be distributed to people who need them by First United Methodist Church.

At the same time, the Butler Memorial Hospital Foundation is hard at work with the annual Caring Angels Program and the big raffle it runs each year.

The list of organizations and their efforts at this time of year would be a very long list if we tried to name everyone.

The important part of the programs is sometimes lost in the work. People helping people and people sharing their blessings — these are the special part of Christmas giving. The big red kettles of the Salvation Army and the bells ringing out to announce their presence aren’t a “look at me” effort, but a message saying “here is your chance to give.”

If you ever were blessed with the opportunity to stand and ring the bell, then you surely were rewarded with the sight of a wide-eyed child with a huge grin drop a few coins into the kettle. The child most likely has no idea how much or how little the coins falling into that pot are going to help others, but he or she does understand it helps someone else and has nothing to do with Santa Claus.

So please don’t think anything you do this Christmas season is too little or not significant. A little donation of coins by each of us could create real change in someone’s life, if not in the world. Give as much as you are able, and may God’s blessings be with you in the coming year.

— RV