Yes, Christmas IS about GIFTS

I remember Christmas morning as a child, the house silent and dark, not a creature stirring, not even my parents. I had no clock in my room, but the darkness and general quiet of the house told me it was way too early to get up to see what Santa had left under the tree. I would have to wait in silent and painful anticipation until the night brightened somewhat or I could hear movement elsewhere in the house.

My brother, who shared my room, was a heavy sleeper, even at Christmas time. Sometimes I would try to wake him up so that the blame for disturbing the household could be more fairly shared. I would try tactics like whispering, "Are you awake?" or saying his name out loud. Then even louder. Or maybe poking him with my finger.

I was seldom successful, but Christmas morning eventually managed to arrive every year and the beauty and magic of a gift laden tree, a glow in the pre-dawn light, would be a thrill beyond measure.

Eventually I grew up and had children of my own and I got to enjoy Christmas from the opposite side of the experience, the thrill of my daughters on Christmas morning mirroring all the joys of my own childhood. Now as a grandfather to three grandchildren, that act of giving and the joy my grandchildren get in receiving is still one of life's great pleasures.

So, it annoys me when decent and sincere members of the Green movement, deride the giving of gifts at Christmas and treat gift giving as crime against nature.

Christmas is about Gifts and giving. In a very real sense Christmas will not come if that is given up. There is no crime in gifts and gift giving. They are an intrinsic part of Christmas.

But they are just a part, and we do have to realize there is more to Christmas than gifts alone. Christmas is also about peace, and family and joy and love and caroling and feasting. At its heart it is a religious experience whose time of year is shared with Eidul-Adha the Festival of Sacrifice, and Chanukkah. In recent times the gift giving part has tended to overwhelm the rest of what Christmas is also about. While there is no magical formula guaranteed to create the Christmas spirit, there are essential ingredients, and gifts are part of the mix. However, there is a real danger that gifts and gift giving, along with the relentless advertising urging us to buy, are hijacking the whole experience. I know our economy depends substantially on consumer spending at this time of year, but it seems to me, the value of gift receiving should decrease as a proportion of the Christmas mix, the older you get.

As a fairly affluent adult, my needs and wants are few and simple, I no longer need much in the way of gifts. There is little I want that I can't purchase for myself, in a size that actually fits me and in a colour I actually like. I see little value in gift receiving for most Canadian adults. My grand children yes, me no. Those less fortunate yes, me no. There are other tangible ways to demonstrate our caring for the important adults in our lives.

The gifting part of the Christmas mix, for me, is in giving to my grandchildren, the joy I experience in their delight and the memories the experience ignites in me. Carols, gathering together with friends, sharing joy and food and drink, a quiet walk on a winters evening, large flakes of snow gently falling, are equally important and critical to the Christmas spirit which is, after all, about the awareness of being apart of something greater than ourselves.

So from all of us here at the Scarborough Guildwood Green Party of Ontario Constituency Association, whatever your religious practices and beliefs, or lack thereof, let me wish you the Happiest of Holidays and may the spirit of the season awaken in you. Peace.