A friend sent me this and made me think. As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Canadians with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense of Canadian labour.
This year will be different. This year Canadians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Canadians. Gifts produced by Canadian hands such as: gift certificates from your local Canadian hair salon or barber, gym membership, an oil change for your vehicle done by a Canadian shop, Mom would love the services of a local helper for a day, tip plus a little extra for your restaurant server, book by a Canadian author, and our mail and newspaper carriers would appreciate a ‘local’ thank you for their services.
Christmas is no longer about draining Canadian pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is about caring. We care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine. This is the new Canadian Christmas tradition.
We in Penticton have our very own Grandmothers for Africa group. A key member of this terrific organization and joined by many great ladies is our very own Dodi Morrison, who this past July launched her book: The Okanagan Reflections. Born in Vancouver in 1921, several decades of her life writing articles are in that book. The best part is that the proceeds are going to the Penticton organization of Grandmothers for Africa. In that, I have realized two goals with one action, I purchased a great book for a Christmas gift and it is written by a 100 per cent Canadian author.
Nadia Elgazzar
Penticton