By Julie Avoghlian Kristensen, Ekstra Bladet
Christmas is a celebration of hearts, which is about giving love and gifts to those you love.
But for some it is also a time filled with worries.
That's the case for Heidi Draaby, who lives as an early retiree because she has suffered from several major depressions since 2010. And she is a single mother of three adult children, Marcus, Nicklas, Lukas, and Tobias, 16, who is the only one of the children who still lives at home.
Danish People's Aid's Christmas aid has therefore always meant a lot to Heidi Draaby and her boys.
– It has meant everything to my children that I have been able to give them a real Christmas present and not just a tube of toothpaste, for example. The fact that we get a gift certificate for food, so that we can have a real Christmas meal on Christmas Eve and not just eat spaghetti with meat sauce, means a lot to us. It is a light in the darkness.
– If it's cheap, then it's affordable
Danish People's Aid's Christmas aid provides 800 kroner for food per family and 500 kroner for Christmas gifts per child.
In a time of rising food prices, it is extra difficult for Heidi Draaby to keep her finances together, so Christmas aid falls into an extra dry spot for her.
– With the Christmas aid, there will be a little more disposable income around Christmas, and that is a relief. It is difficult all the time, but it becomes even more obvious as Christmas approaches.
– Especially if you're out shopping and you see people putting a duck or roast pork in the cart, because I don't do that.
Heidi Draaby therefore uses a very special technique when she goes shopping.
– My children have grown up with us checking kilo prices. Of course, it's not always the case that if it's cheap, it's good, but more so if it's cheap, it's affordable.
Heidi Draaby has about 3000 kroner left to do good with after she has paid her bills, and therefore she is constantly worried about whether there is enough money for food, clothes, to get her disabled car repaired – or whether there is money for Christmas presents.
– I often wonder if I can save money in other places. I wonder if I can push an electricity bill to January, because that's when I get child benefit. But then it happens that everything just gets worse because I postpone the problems, she says.
Heidi Draaby has received Christmas aid for many years, and now she herself is helping to collect and distribute Christmas aid. But the road to getting there has been a long one.
In 1996, when Heidi Draaby was 23 years old, she was diagnosed with connective tissue cancer. Fortunately, she is cancer-free and has been for almost 27 years. But the cancer caused her to lose her right leg when she was only 25 years old.
However, that's not something that should hold her back.
– That also has its advantages, because when I'm busy, I just put the long leg in front, she says with a laugh.
And Heidi Draaby will need that long leg.
In addition to helping distribute Christmas aid, she is an active member of FamilieNet, a network that offers social activities for families receiving Christmas aid. According to Heidi Draaby, this can range from a trip to the cinema to a Halloween party.
“I can actually actually something“
In 2016, Heidi Draaby was asked if she would like to become part of the board of the local branch of Danish People's Aid, where she also volunteered to distribute Christmas aid. A choice that she accepted and that she will never regret.
– I suddenly got the feeling that I may have some things to struggle with, but I can actually do something.
– I used to tend to compare myself to these 'nuclear families' who can do it all and can afford most things. But suddenly I met people who reminded me of myself, and it was very liberating.
For Heidi Draaby, it means a lot to her to be able to help make other families happy with Christmas help.
– It means a lot to me. Seeing the joy in people's eyes when we distribute Christmas aid, seeing their gratitude, and hearing what it means to them. Many come and say that we saved their Christmas.
However, Heidi Draaby does not help decide who is allowed to receive Christmas aid.
Love Christmas
Christmas has always held a very special place in Heidi Draaby's heart. However, she doesn't experience the same joy at Christmas as she did when she was a child.
– I associate Christmas a lot with my childhood, where my mother would stand in the kitchen and bake cookies. That joy disappears a bit, as I have never been able to do the same for my children, either because I haven't had the energy or because I haven't been able to afford it.
– If the joy and worries of Christmas go hand in hand, then the worries sometimes overshadow the joy.
