Guest Blog--"Nightmare of a Dark Christmas"

Nightmare of a Dark Christmas

‘Tis the season for families all over the country to be together and celebrate the holidays. We play our old favorite carols such as White Christmas and Jingle Bells. Children are excited about presents and activities that are associated with this time of year, and everyone tends to look forward to the joy and warmth of the season. Well, not everyone. For many children this will be a gloomy and cold season, a dark Christmas if you will. It is not just that there will be no Santa Claus to visit and deliver presents, no fun and games, or plenty of turkey with all the trimmings. It is not just a lack of all the good and light that represents the spirit of Christmas, but the murk that covers the victims of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. These children are the ghosts of Christmas Present that none of us want to believe exist. They are girls as young as two years old who are pimped out at truck stops by their own mothers for $25 crack rocks. They are young men under 18 who are raped in juvenile detention centers. They are children who are forced to sleep naked, and are awakened in the early morning hours by a drunk who forces them to perform sexual acts. They are children who are whipped mercilessly with an extension cord for leaving the top off of the toothpaste. They are children left at what the parents believed to be a credible daycare, but in fact is a sex offender’s playground. They are neglected children forced to fend for their lives.
When you gather with your loved ones this holiday season, take a moment to say a prayer for the thousands of weak, helpless, molested and neglected children across the country who are not as fortunate. If you want to make a difference, then do more than just throwing change in the kettle outside the mall. Instead, find out the needs and support your local Child Advocacy Center or Domestic Violence Shelter in your community. With your help, perhaps a few more ghosts of Christmas Present will have a little brighter Christmas Future.


------Dan