Recent visits to two widely different events have left me disturbed and thoughtful.

I was asked by our church to help serve dinner at a Christian street ministry. That evening, we served a simple but nutritious meal to about 150 clients. Most of the clients were street people, homeless. They were hungry—and grateful. But I soon realized that they needed far more than food. They also needed clean clothes, a warm, dry place to sleep, and access to clean water. Many had medical needs. Some were in wheelchairs, some were on crutches or had limps, some had badly curved spines, and some had gastro-intestinal problems and other ailments. Many were suffering from the effects of addiction and mental issues. All needed the hope and spiritual healing that Jesus brings. I served for one night, but I have great admiration for the regulars who serve meals at this ministry three times a day 365 days a year. They also provide a safe place to sleep, medical care, addiction recovery, counselling, long-term housing, and occupational training. The needs are enormous, but this ministry is meeting many of them.

The second visit was much different. My wife and I went to a Christmas craft fair, looking to buy some Christmas presents. For more than an hour, we walked up and down the many aisles in a massive event space. We inspected the wares in dozens and dozens of booths. As we walked away, I realized that we had not seen anything that anybody needed. Everything we had seen was a frivolous extra, a decoration, a novelty. The contrast between the two events was startling. When I considered the many needs of the clients at the street ministry, I realized that there was nothing in the vast Christmas market that they needed and very little that they could even use. And some items (such as the wine, alcohol, and “edible” products) would be detrimental.

Before these two events, my wife and I had already decided we would not buy each other presents this Christmas—not because we don’t love each other but because there was nothing we could think of that we needed or wanted. And we have asked other family members not to buy us anything either. We are old, and our wants and needs have diminished. When we look at our own Christmas shopping lists, we realize there are people on those lists who have considerable needs, which overshadow wants. I remember one year when we sent some Christmas money to some friends we knew were struggling. They later apologized for spending the money on a new toilet. This was something they needed, and we praised them for their wisdom.

Do not misunderstand. I recognize that there are times when frivolity, fun, games, and silliness are also a need. The manager at another street ministry told us that clients at its food bank gravitated first to the dessert section. Years ago, I wrote a major research paper on “Service and Pleasure in the Millennium: Ontario Baptist Attitudes to Amusements and Recreation between the World Wars.” Before this time, Baptists had stressed work and service, but during the Great Depression they realized that people (many of whom could not find work) also needed recreation (which they related to re-creation/divine renewal). Besides food and clothing, people also need hope, love, joy and peace.

But in our current time of economic dislocation, when many people are struggling, there is something wrong when needs are neglected and so many of our Christmas efforts are wasted on buying more useless gifts.