Published: Thursday, 22nd October, 2009 11:00am

Leader: Lavish some joy and make it a cracker of a Christmas

WHILE we are still wondering what happened to the summer, it may seem a little premature to direct your thoughts towards Christmas.

But it's never too soon to contemplate lavishing a little joy and pleasure on the young people who benefit from our annual Toys and Teens Appeal and, with your help, we aim to make it another cracking success story.

In a year when most sections of society have been touched painfully by the so-called credit crunch, it might perhaps take a little extra effort to remember and appreciate that many families are trapped in a recession which won't simply vanish once the politicians and bankers manage to get their sums right.

Residing in our land of plenty, Christmas will not noticeably be that different for any of us. The children who got the latest computer games and animatronics last Christmas will probably be blissfully unwrapping this year's models on December 25. But equally, the families unable to afford even the cheapest, token present last year are most likely to find themselves in the same predicament this time around.

The young carers we highlight in our front page story this week would, under normal circumstances, roll their sleeves up and get on with life on Christmas Day as they do the other 364. But with your help, this year they might get a moment to themselves to unwrap a gift or two and share the sense of wonderment being experienced by millions of other youngsters across the globe that morning. Imagine if you were responsible for one of those Christmas smiles!