Something on my Mind: Gift Exchange (2(

Just a few more thoughts today on gift exchanges and other traditions over Christmas holiday.

The allure of a gift exchange is multi-level. Not only is there the appeal of teasing the receiver, but there's the novelty of getting something quite unexpected, of tapping into people's ingenuity, and if you don't like the gift, at least you have something for next year's gift exchange.

What sort of other things do you do around this time of year? There are some really questionable ones that people do over the holidays. I am speaking specifically of mistletoe and drinking.

In terms of mistletoe, I don't mind kisses, but I prefer a. the chocolate type; and if not, b. the private non-chocolate type. Public smooching with anyone other than one's wife (in my case) is degrading to all involved

And excessive drinking is nothing less than a tragedy, when you think of the wasted money, the resulting behaviour, and God forbid, the permanent damage caused by a drunk driver.

By now you may have gathered that there are neither mistletoe nor drink at my place over the holidays.

While we're looking at things we do at Christmas, what other traditions do you have? Or what games do you play during this season? For ourselves, we don't have a lot of traditions, though board games are a top priority.

Games can be therapeutic at every level. It's good for the family to sit around a table, laughing, ribbing, chilling, and drinking...eggnog. It's kind of like the old-fashioned days when families talked to each other.

And winning isn't everything, but playing one's best is. Although I must be honest with you, do like to win.

I even see playing games as an education tool. There are a lot of word and number games out there that are very helpful. It's just a different way to appreciate Language Arts and Math, where you can use "education" and "fun" in the same sentence. There are so many ways to approach learning the basics, and games are just one of them.

Christmas is a slower time of year, thus allowing greater time to do things like this together. It seems so old-fashioned, I suppose, in this day and age where too many family members hide behind a screen for the evening, rather than play face-to-face with family and friends alike.

Being a wannabe wordsmith, I am naturally drawn to games like Scrabble, Boggle, and Taboo. And on the numbers side of games of things, I like Rummikub (the last syllable is pronounced "cyube," not "cub" for some reason).

In fact, like many math-based games, it's really hard to cheat at Rummikub (see previous column on gift deception). As you most likely know, you start with so many tiles, each with a number and a colour assigned to it. It's pretty upfront with what you're doing. The goal is to get rid of all of your tiles as quickly (and honestly) as possible.

Rummikub is that sweet balance of luck and happenstance, on the one hand, and intelligence and strategy, on the other. You are dealt so many tiles to start with—that's the "luck" part. After that, you need to take charge and make something of what you've been given.

Can you see where I'm going with this? No? Let me help you:

1. There's a metaphor of life found in Rummikub. We're all born with certain inherent and different qualities. We're "dealt" with a set of tiles with which we must do something positive with.

2. What we do with what we have is up to us. There is no place for entitlement (neither demanding it nor flaunting it). There is no place for floating or free-loading through life. We all have that same God-given opportunity to make something of our respective lives.

At least, those are the lessons I get from playing Rummikiub. I'll be honest with you, though: I don't actually think such heavy philosophical thoughts when I am trying to win.

And unlike a gift exchange, it's really hard to cheat. And that may not be a bad thing, whether it's a gift exchange or life itself.

Merry Christmas...and may the best man win.

Something on my Mind: Gift Exchange (1)

One of the highlights of a normal Christmas season can be the gift exchange, usually with staff and colleagues at work or at an extended family gathering. The essence of a gift exchange is to come with one wrapped gift and leave with a different gift, unwrapped. And hopefully the one you take home is a whole lot nicer than the cheap one you brought.

And I do mean "cheap" as opposed to merely "inexpensive."

Now, after all these years, I just learned that there are at least two types of gift exchanges: white elephant and Chinese. Apparently they are similar but not identical. It may be something that you and yours will want to explore some night when the microwave is broken down and your cable has been cut off. There is a really neat innovation called "google" that might help you research it.

One of my passing fears is that I have been assuming all along that I was playing "Chinese" gift exchange, when in fact it was the "white elephant" version. The other thing I have been assuming is that not only was just one type, but that there actually may be many others. Again, when there you have nothing else to do, you may want to check that out.

This is probably old hat to many of you, but is there a place for trickery in a gift exchange? I would think so. While there isn't a lot of wiggle-room for deception, I do have two (tongue-in-cheek) ideas:

1. Put your gift in a big container, making it look bigger than it really is. While your name should not be on the package (as in a real Christmas gift), people will likely see the big gift that you brought and think more highly (though less accurately) of you.

Mind you, we do that a lot already in life, don't we? We always try to stand taller in order to impress people. Or we may inflate our muscles—well, not really, of course (unless you have balloons under your muscle shirt). We just need people to know we're tough and feisty.

But that can very quickly backfire, when they discover that we're actually Superwuss, not Superman/woman.

Another deception is to make us look bigger when it comes to our intelligence, houses, and wardrobes. So a gift exchange done that way, then, really isn't much different from everyday life.

2. Another way to "cheat" is to use really expensive wrapping paper. After all, we wouldn't think of using expensive wrapping paper to wrap a cheap gift, would we? So, then, pricey paper gives the impression of a pricey gift.

You see, if we think of the life picture here, expensive wrapping paper is akin to fancy clothes, or dazzling hairdo (whatever "hair" is), or tantalizing aftershave/perfume. It portrays something that is out of the ordinary and may give off the wrong impression—wrong, as inaccurate.

These two acts of deception are really a metaphor for life, and that's why having a gift exchange is so uncomfortable, yet realistic at the same time. A gift exchange, Japanese or Pink Panther, captures the essence of what it means to be human in a secular world.
I bet you never thought such a fun event could be so complicated. Well, it actually isn't.

I'm just having some fun with your head. And no, I am not serious about intentionally misleading people in your gift-giving prowess.

I am stretching things a tad, I suppose, but in writing this I developed a more accurate comparison to life such a simple harmless tradition we engage in during the Christmas season. And I just can't think of any other pastime that can do it so well.

In the meantime, if you must, buy a small gift, place it in a big box, with fancy-schmancy wrapping paper. That should keep people in suspenders, er, suspense for a few minutes.

Happy gift exchanging!

Something on my Mind: That Big Day is Just Around the Corner (2)

Tolerance. Diversity. These are current buzz words that I hear on a regular basis. There may not be any bigger time of year, any greater Canadian tradition, where it could be practised than on the Big Day called Christmas.

I think in the spirit of tolerance, which we hear a lot about from our friends from the Left, the

least we can do is tolerate our differing views—and that includes differing traditions, historical/biblical or otherwise. Okay, that's quite a concession on our part, because if we ignore much about the basis of this Big Day, we are in denial of the facts, which is not a good thing.

Here's a really great idea (I'm so modest, aren't I?): How about we don't cram the historical, biblical angle of Christmas down anyone's throat, and they (you?) don't ban our celebration of said day.

I am sadly aware that much of what I am asking for is passe. Christmas songs, school presentations, even general greetings around this time, are long devoid of any mention of Christmas (with "Christ" part being the culprit). I get it.

You see, we all have our Big Days—among them birthdays and anniversaries--and we have the right and thrill of celebrating them. I cannot agree with the secularization of December's Big Day, but I reserve the right for others to do what they want on December 25.

Just don't deny me and mine, and I will do the same for you.

There is a limited historical basis for Christmas being celebrated the way we do today, I agree. I speak in particular of the Christmas tree, the time of year, and the excessive indebtedness that results. They don't seem to have a historical or biblical basis. There is no question there have been a lot abuses on everyone's part.

Our family has a tree, but it merely becomes part of the living room decor and nothing more. It just adds to the ambience of the season I was raised without a tree and never developed a tree tradition until well after I was married. Besides, the Christ-child was likely born sometime in the late summer/early fall, not the dead of winter. We are also very careful how much money we spend. It's called responsible budgeting.

It should be a big day for all, even those of secular mindset. If nothing else, we are celebrating the birth of a distinct historical person. We do that throughout the year and there is no hue or cry about that. I would like to see anyone from that camp mess with other traditional birthdays of famous people, and see if they get away with it.

Just to be consistent: We wouldn't think of messing with Happy, Happy Friday, for example, would we? Of course not. If we did, that would certainly make it a really "black" Friday for all concerned.

It's also a big day to celebrate the season with friends and family, with all the food, fun, and fellowship, spread out over many days.

But it is a Big Day for me and other professing followers of the Christ for other reasons. Christ's birth was a significant event in terms of liberty and freedom. And in this day and age of "tolerance" and "diversity," one wonders why does tolerance does not apply to Christmas. Okay, I fib: I know exactly why it doesn't work both ways.

So, I tolerate the nonsense of the Grinch, the tradition of the mistletoe, and the undisciplined drinking-to-get-drunk parties. I will not be stopping that. I'll leave the latter restriction Operation Red Nose and other men in blue.

It's a happy time of year for many, bittersweet for more and more, something I may tackle in a column or two. In the meantime, let's enjoy the season in the most meaningful way possible.

Merry Christmas!