It is estimated that Australians will spend $27.4 billion this month on Christmas presents. Pick any day, the shopping mall is probably the most stressful place to be as people rush back and forth hunting for the perfect gift for their friends and families. Every year we promise ourselves that we’ll spend less and shop earlier. While it feels like consumerism has well and truly overtaken the true meaning of Christmas it’s not all greed and gluttony.

Today I got a behind the scenes look at Santa’s grotto… well almost, it was actually the Salvation Army’s sorting house where volunteers unpack, sort, pick and package-up gifts for children who might otherwise get nothing for Christmas. When you give a git to the Kmart Wishing Tree or the ABC Giving Tree this is where it’ll end up. Van’s pull up each day during the early weeks of December loaded with new toys. Peter, a retired store-man organises the shelves whilst volunteers walk around with their picking lists choosing gifts that are appropriate for the age of the child on their list. Next, the gifts are labelled ready for wrapping and then finally either collected or delivered to the needy child. But it’s not just toys that the Salvos deliver for Christmas, but also food parcels containing tinned and preserved festive food.

This is a very good story, one worth getting involved in. Love and goodwill is still available. At a Salvo near you.