Huron Expositor, 2006-12-20, Page 4Pogo 4 December 20, 2006 • The Huron Expositor
Opinion
Proprietor and Publisher, Bowes Publishers Limited, 11 Main St., Seaforth, ON, NOK IWO
•
In the affluent Western world, Christmas is often
accused of losing all meaning and replaced instead
with gluttonous consumerism.
Stores advertise for Christmas shopping earlier
and earlier in the fall and lists get larger and larg-
er and filled with more and more expensive items.
And, it's often thought that we've increasingly
aimed the season of giving in just one direction -
our`selves.
But, a look around the region this year makes
one ponder if more and more of us are not just a ht -
fie fed up with the self-centred excess and are look-
ing to rediscover the emotional and spiritual centre
of a season that began with a celebration of light
and love.
Organizers at the Seaforth Christmas Bureau are
reporting donations larger than they've ever seen
of food, clothing, gifts and money towards those
who have some trouble fitting the extras of
Christmas into their meager budgets.
Every school in the area is practising the virtues
of -generosity and thoughtfulness with their can dri-
ves and angel tree donations.
And, we're also looking beyond the need in our
own Canadian communities to those in the third
world.
Many are taking advantage of charitable organi-
zations that facilitate giving to the neediest fami-
lies on earth and giving donations in each other's
names in lieu of the usual sweater or toy under the
Christmas tree.
Others - whose efforts are given special attention
at this time of year - are engaged year-round in
campaigns for clean drinking water or help for
third world orphans whose parents have died from
AIDS.
While we're still bombarded with the message to
buy, buy, buy, our focus seems to be broadening
towards the true need in the world and to a certain
degree,, we're responding.
As always, the challenge is to keep that aware-
ness alive all year round.
Susan Hundertmark-
Your Community Newspaper Since 1860
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Carolling party makes me
joyful and triumphant
There is anything but
peace on earth at a news-
paper during
Christmastime.
Christmas is our
busiest time of year with
increased amounts of
advertising .- and there
fore more pages to fill -
and a month full of
Christmas parades, con-
certs, pageants, donations, carol
fasts and services.
We race through the community like crazed
elves, trying to capture; the activity in photos
and words, longing all the while for a long
winter's no.
It should be fun, and if it weren't for the
deadlines and the lack of down time, it would
be.
And, I've found that if I can just allow
myself to remain in the moment - completely
engaged, for instance, in the smiling faces of
Kindergarteners singing Up On the Rooftop -
instead of worrying about the endless list of
what needs to be done, I can enjoy the season.
Such an opportunity to step outside of the
frenzy came about recently, mainly because of
my big mouth.
Driving through Mitchell during the town's
annual carol sing, my daughter enquired
what on earth could be going on with all those
people gathered together in the dark holding
candles.
I explained that they were singing
13y Susan
Hundertmark
sings, break -
Christmas carols and remi-
nisced about how much fun
my friends and I used to
have as kids going door to
door singing, with the occa-
sional snowball fight
thrown in along the way.
The next thing I knew
my daughter had shared
this novel (to her) idea with
her friends at school and I
was being asked to host a carolling party.
Hosting a kids' party during my busiest
time at work was not on my to-do list, but
since it was inadvertently my bright idea in
the first place, I couldn't very well say no.
So, invitations were issued, cookies were
baked and a handful of kids walked home
from school with my daughter on the big
night.
Going carolling was not something most of
them had ever done before so there was some
nervousness and a great deal of practising
before we hit the streets.
The first house was our next door neigh-
bour's. The, kids knocked on the door and
waited for someone to answer, clutching their
carol sheets in anticipation.
Instead of beginning to sing when the door
opened, they suffered a moment of stage
fright, silent and frozen in the glare of the
porchlight with my neighbour left wondering
why this group had gathered on the doorstep.
See STRESSED -OUT, Page 5
Don't you think it's wrong
to want all these toys when
some children have nothing?
No, no, no....you'rs
looking at it all wrong.
Christmas is a big
opportunity for the
poor.
Consumer demand in
wealthy countries like ours
creates jobs in the Third
World. To fill the demand,
they hire children to work
in the sweatshops.
Now those children
-can afford a bowl of
soup for Christmas
dinner!
I feel
better
knowing
that I'm
helping
someone.
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Tom Williscraft Susan Hundertmark
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