A Pursuit of Happiness on Christmas

Kishma Jeffers
Mr. Osbourne
ENG 111
September 27, 2010

The Pursuit of Happiness on Christmas
Waking up on Christmas morning to a room full of presents is the best feeling I could
have ever imagined. That was until December 25, 2007, which was the very first year I spent Christmas with homeless people that resided at a local shelter in my home town. This particular Christmas made me realize how fortunate I am to have family and friends to spend the holidays with. It allowed me to meet new people that were just like me. The only difference between us was the fact that they were homeless and don’t get a chance to celebrate Christmas with their friends and family because of their life situations. Finally, I was able to donate my time and services to others that needed help without receiving anything in return but lots of smiles was the best present I received.
When my mom broke the news to me that instead of having the traditional Christmas we would visit the homeless shelter I was devastated. I couldn’t accept the fact that I wouldn’t wake up to turkey, dressing, and a room full of presents. I had witnessed my mom work so hard to make ends meet just to make sure that my siblings and I had the best Christmas. I can remember the year when my father was incarcerated. No one was there to help my mom, and as usual we still had a blessed Christmas. Christmas after Christmas I can recall her telling us that one Christmas we were going to celebrate Christmas at the shelter because of how ungrateful we were. As I sat and thought about the whole ordeal, the reality of it hit me hard. I came to my senses that my mom was right. The gifts filled the room. All of the food and deserts filled our tummies to the point we couldn’t eat any more. I never took the time to see that some people didn’t have food and gifts. Now that I have spent my first Christmas with people who are unfortunate, I can understand the pursuit of happiness.
The entire day was filled with joy. I woke...