Christmas doesn’t come from the store

In that moment I felt ashamed. What had I been teaching my son that he thought the spirit of Christmas could be bought and paid for at a chain store?

Perhaps this burst of an epiphany struck me in a particularly deep way because the day before, I had been talking to a friend from years ago, Isabelle Impy.

Isabelle, along with First Nations Forum and Jubilation House, are organizing their seventh Community Christmas.

The event evolved from these giving souls thinking about others who would be spending Christmas Day without the big family gathering, the big meal, the decorations, the presents or the joy.

They celebrate Christmas with approximately 1,500 people who are either alone, who are in the city and away from their homes for a variety of reasons; with seniors who have no family to spend the holidays with, etcetera.

Can you imagine the hugeness of this undertaking … to sit at the kitchen table and think, “This year I am going to make a Christmas for every lonely soul in the city!” And then actually do it?

This is an event, which happens right on Christmas Day and requires volunteers to spend time at the St. Mary High School gym instead of with their own families.

But, the Community Christmas is just one example.

My goodness … the churches, community groups, volunteers from around the city — give and give and give during the season.

And they don’t need to give extravagant gifts that will be forgotten by New Year’s Eve.

They give something greater. They tell people they are cared about. They come knocking at the door of a family who wouldn’t be able to have a Christmas Celebration — with boxes laden with everything needed for a nice meal, with gifts … with smiles and hugs.

Not all of us can be on the front lines of these organizations — but it is our responsibility to help them … and to teach our children about selfless giving.

So, what did my son’s exclamation in the store do to change things in our house? Well, he is five – so it’s not too late.

We made cookies yesterday and now, he is busily painting them while I write this column. We will be going around later to give them to people in our community.

It’s just a cookie, but that’s not the point. What I want to achieve is to teach my son that it is greater to give than to receive, to understand this concept is not just a quip but to have him experience this first hand.

I want to raise a son who will grow up to be better than his mother — to perhaps, someday, be on the front lines of Christmas charity and to raise his children the same way.

It isn’t all about the newest DS-i or the fact the iPad is already obsolete.

It is about giving something priceless — something which doesn’t have a price tag, but comes from the heart, even if it is a cookie — or some used toys — or potatoes from your garden.

Make sure to check out the Community Group News for reports from these groups — to see what they are doing, and how you can help.

If you have a non-profit group not yet represented on the page, make sure to contact me.

kcay@panow.com

by Community Affairs

Christmas doesn’t come from the store

paNOW Community Affairs Editor

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