For the uninitiated, here in the NT to ‘humbug’ is to pester somebody for something – usually it’s money, smokes, food, etc.

In my two plus years of living in Katherine it has only happened a few times.

I wonder what you do when it happens. And why.

Then there’s a different kind of humbugging – the (typically European) tourist who is pestering you as they collect donations for a cause (though in reality their cause is often earning money for their holiday). You know the type -  they stand on all four street corners to corner you with false friendliness.

But what do we do with our necessary cynicism when there are real needs as well. How do we weigh it all up? Decades ago, polite society wrongly categorised this into the the ‘deserving poor’ and ‘undeserving poor’. I suspect we often think the same way.

How can we make sure we don’t say ‘bah humbug!’ to those who really need our help? Even if it means being scammed once in a while.

St Paul’s Anglican Church meets on Sundays at 9am with kids church. All welcome.