WE are fast approaching the year’s biggest excuse for excess – Christmas.

The season’s real meaning might still lie in the religious festival marking the birth of Christ, but there is no denying that the weeks leading up to 25 December now have at least as much to do with eating, drinking and the exchange of lavish presents as they do with any sense of spirituality.

But the Christmas period should not be utterly dominated by conspicuous consumption and personal gratification. It is possible for Islanders who enjoy the fruits of this community’s incredibly high level of general prosperity to spare some time to consider the plight of those who do not.

There is, moreover, no necessity for the well-off to stop at thinking about others. Today the annual Joint Charities Christmas Appeal is launched, offering those with the means to do so the opportunity to contribute to a fund that will make a real difference to families and individuals experiencing hardship.

The target for this year’s appeal is at least £120,000. This should be reached with ease if Islanders demonstrate their habitual readiness to dip into their pockets for good causes. That said, there is no automatic guarantee that the appeal will achieve its goal. Everything depends on upholding the fine tradition of Island generosity.

It is significant that the appeal’s chairman, Jean Dale, who was brought up as one of 11 children, remembers benefiting from appeal hampers when she was young. She also remembers that during her childhood there was no such thing as Income Support and that the needy had to ‘go cap in hand’ for welfare. Few people could be better placed to understand what the appeal signifies past or present or to persuade fellow Islanders to contribute as much as possible.

Mrs Dale says that some 1,000 families are already on the list of those who will receive help in the shape of vouchers or hampers. This is unlikely to be an exhaustive tally, so there is another role that people can play in respect of the appeal. It is not too late for other recipients to be taken into consideration.