AS we head into the festive period we are inundated with people making grand charitable gestures.

Now, whilst I am happy to support all these endeavours as much as I can, I do sense we have a new breed of people who are only doing this so they can share it on social media.

If you take social media away from them they honestly couldn’t care less about doing anything charitable whatsoever.

You know why I know this? Because the same people were nowhere to be seen in the days before they decided to download Twitter and Facebook on their phones. Do you know those days when you did something and people turned up and went home and the memory was just that – a memory.

I know this is a seriously depressing thought to have but is a good deed really a good deed if you do it just to share it? The idea is that we are doing it to make ourselves feel better about ourselves as well as showing the world that we indeed have a good side.

For once I would like someone to do something and then not tell me about it. If you are going to hand presents out at the hospital just do it. It would be better if I found out myself rather than having to read gushing posts about how you were being so generous and wonderful.

Sometimes people are reaching for their phones to take a picture even before the deed is done.

Recently, I read a post about a guy telling us that he makes time during the day to take care of his parents.

You see his parents are elderly but he makes time from his extremely busy schedule to go and look after them.

To which I would say, you should be taking care of your elderly parents. It is the normal thing to do. You actually want credit for this?

Then I read about a woman posting about how she had helped someone in the supermarket by letting her in front of her in the queue as the other woman had fewer items.

I know it is good to give and those who go out of their way to help each other at this time of year deserve some credit. But let’s just do the good deed and then get on with our lives.

Merry Christmas to all and I shall see you all on the other side of the halal lamb and mango lassi.