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Christmas is just around the corner, the most magical time of year. And it is, truly, a magical time of year: more than anything, because it gives people a chance to take a break, and reflect on the important things. To get together and to celebrate; to enjoy various traditions, like the Nativity, the Cagatió, the food and the presents. It is - commercialism and bad Christmas songs aside - a time to give, and to love.

But what about doing something a little different this Christmas? There are many people all over the world who simply won’t be able to enjoy this time of year, for numerous reasons. To help them in some small way is a wonderful thing to do, and not as difficult as you might imagine.

Buy from charity shops

Oxfam Intermón, for example, have a chain of shops that are part of a larger organisation devoted to ending poverty throughout the world. Their online store (http://tienda.oxfamintermon.org/) is full of gift ideas for every season, including some wonderful Christmas hampers. Even a small thing, like buying all your Christmas cards from a charity, is a lovely, worthwhile gesture.

A ‘blue gift’ from UNICEF

UNICEF is a charity that works to aid and improve the lives of children the world over, and one sweet, simple idea on their website is to buy a ‘blue gift’ for someone in need (http://tienda.unicef.es/que-es-regalo-azul). First, you choose the present that you would like to buy. This could be anything from a blanket or a vaccination kit to a motorbike or a large tent. Then, you choose the card you’d like to send to the friend or family member you’d like to send a card to - you can personalise the card, too, if you wish - and finally, the charity will do the rest for you, sending the gift you’ve chosen to where it’s most needed.

Donate

Something you can do at any time of year is donate money to any number of charities and NGOs online, but it’s best to choose those which are well-known and have a good reputation. Oxfam and UNICEF are prime examples, and others include Save the Children (https://www.savethechildren.es/), the Red Cross (http://www.cruzroja.es/principal/web/cruz-roja/inicio), Doctors Without Borders (http://www.msf.es/) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (http://donate.unhcr.org/international/general). The world is experiencing a turbulent period as we reach the end of 2015, and your help would be much appreciated by the countless families currently facing the cold weather in refugee camps, hundreds of miles away from the homes they’ve been forced to leave.

Get out on the street

Almost every town and city will have some kind of charity event happening this Christmas, and one of the best ways you can show your support is to get out there and help in person. Have a look at your town council’s website or simply search in Google to find out what’s happening and how you can get involved. It could be a few hours, an afternoon or a whole day, and you could be serving food to the homeless or helping at an old people’s home. It’s an admirable thing to do, and if you can’t find anything online, you could always start your own initiative…

Come to the Cambridge School Pantomime

As many long-term students of Cambridge School know, each year we organise a pantomime that takes place at the Centre Cultural in Granollers. A pantomime is a very British Christmas custom: a play, usually based on a classic or well-known story, that involves silly clothes, lots of singing and dancing and jokes and colour, and interaction with the audience, too. Great listening practice for children and adults alike, the ‘panto’ is told in English and narrated in Catalan. It has become a much-loved tradition here at Cambridge School, and recent years have seen us interpret classics such as Mary Poppins, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Alice in Wonderland. This year, however, things will be a little more contemporary…

The pantomime is free for anyone to attend, but we do collect for a different charity each year. This year the school is collaborating with Mans Unides Vallès Oriental (http://www.cambridgeschool.com/es/responsabilidad-social.html) in order to help build schools in two of the poorest neighbourhoods in Kaedi, Mauritania, and, with your help, we’ll hopefully change the lives of the children in those areas for the better.