On My Way to Christmas

By Maureen Blaseckie

http://suddenalarm.blaseckie.ca/

It is crunch time in the annual Christmas solo relay race.  When you swing out of bed each morning feeling like the “before” picture in the toilet cleaner ads and haven’t gotten as far as the bathroom light before you’ve made at least three separate mental lists of things you need to do before noon.  And then comes a voice crying in the wilderness – “Mommmm, I think the dog did something on the floor and I just stepped in it…”  Rather than asking whether it went splash or splat, you just start another list.

But enough about my day. 

This is also the time of year for greetings and wishes to friends, family, near, dear and far.  It is difficult to be original right now but that is also why there is so much tradition involved with the season.  So here goes.  

To everyone who recognizes the need at this time of year to take a few minutes for reflection on where we have been, where we are going and allow a little thankfulness into their hearts, I hope you find those few minutes. In this world, even a few people taking the time to be actively quiet can make a difference. 

If you want to give thanks for the victory of the sun over darkness; commemorate the miracle of the Maccabees’ rededication of the Temple or indulge in the Christian birthday celebration, this seems the right time of year for it.  Let’s not fight anymore over what this time of year is called because it just gets too silly. You call it Kwanza, I call it Christmas and Canadian Tire calls it a healthy profit margin. Mention it again and I’ll be forced to send you the paper on the “Cross-Cultural Origins of Mid-Winter Feasts and Festivals in the Northern Hemisphere” I wrote for a social history course. After that one the Prof told me I’d never have to write a paper for him again. Made me promise I wouldn’t, as a matter of fact. 

It’s a tough time of year for people living in financially difficult circumstances. Food banks can at least feed the body and there are big campaigns to fill their shelves at this time but they struggle year round to meet the growing need.  My wish for them is that more people will remember we need a little Christmas in the summer months, too. 

The street I live on is into Christmas lights in a big way. Each year we go all out to win the highest accolade our local daily paper can award an Esquimalt neighborhood – 2nd place in their annual Winter Festival of Electric Illumination Displays of Conspicuous Consumption.  

At the beginning of December the gang was out with ladders and extension poles hanging huge snowflakes from trees lining the streets. Any of the elderly neighbors or those otherwise reluctant to scamper up a ladder fretted not as they knew someone would come by to hang their lights for them. It is friendly and a neighborly way to open our doors to the spirit of the season. 

Then a group of grinches in training decided to help themselves to the snowflakes. And to grab some other decorations and collect as many hot light bulbs as they could stand. One neighbor chased the lads and recovered some of the snowflakes. The next day I saw what looked like candies on the street. Broken bulbs, it turned out. Looked pretty, I guess, and obviously a bunch of fun to smash on the pavement.

At first I wanted to find these kids and administer a little Biblical justice. It’s hard to remember they are just puppies who’ve reached a rather unattractive stage of life. Then it occurred to me probably they’ve experienced a lot of anger already in their lives. Even if it isn’t part of their family life, it’s on TV, in their music, everywhere in the world around them.  

These kids don’t need any more anger. They will remember that night when they are older and standing in a line with their babies to see Santa or every time their 2 yr old squeaks with delight at the sight of Christmas lights. And when that happens, I hope they help an elderly neighbor put up Christmas lights, do a volunteer shift at a Salvation Army Kettle or take a moment to be thankful.  My wish for them is the cure to anger: I wish them happiness and, corny as it sounds, I wish them love. 

Now, let's see, I have to get wrapping paper, organize the gifts in ascending alphabetical order, vacuum the dog, take the kids for a walk, re-point the bricks in the chimney.  After lunch: replace head gasket on car…  

Enjoy the season. 

Editor's Note:  

Unfortunately this post got a bit lost in the madness of the season and didn't get it's fair share of time in the RBU limelight!  We hope you'll pop over to Maureen's site to let her know you got a chance to read it...even if it came a wee bit after the holidays!  

Veggy Christmas

By Glen Staples
Managing Editor, RBU: The Group Blog
www.glenslife.com


Barry looked around him and waited for quiet. The room was boisterous and tense, nervous with excitement and it was going to be up to Barry to calm things down.

With a sigh, Barry surveyed the room. As usual everyone was huddled into their little teams. No matter how many different morale boosting events Barry had organised, no matter how many memos he sent around about inter-team communication, nothing ever changed. They still grouped together, never really trusting anyone from outside.

As wizened and experienced as Barry was, he couldn’t see the concern that everyone else saw every day; even though he was staring right at it.

The answer was right in front of him as he looked about him trying to put names to faces. Faces that were new. Faces that kept on changing.

No one felt safe. Old faces were going all the time, replaced immediately with younger ones. Only one team seemed safe and that was Barry’s own team. Everyone else in the company called Barry’s boys ‘The Untouchables’. Anyone and everyone else could expect to be marched out of the door at any time, but The Untouchables just sat back and watched.

Barry called the meeting to order and personally invited his first speaker to take the microphone, or he would have done if he could have remembered his name. Instead he stumbled a little and simply announced that the ‘Head of Night Vision’ should come to the stage – what was his name again? It seemed like these boys completely changed every week – they were so hard to keep. Luckily, there were always more of them knocking at the door looking for work.

Christopher, the longest serving carrot in the vegetable cupboard, stood up and walked slowly forward, giving Barry a cold stare as he did so. No one liked Barry, nor did they trust his favoured team of smug brussel sprouts. They just sat there in the cupboard doing nothing but getting old. The ‘Great Human Resources Hand’ from the sky never picked them for redundancy. Not for them the one way trip out of the company, never to be heard from again. No, Barry’s special team of baby cabbages just sat there as everyone else bit the bullet.

No wonder everyone hated them.

But today Christopher had an announcement to make, something that was going to wipe that smile off Barry’s fat face and turn it into panic. Christopher knew something that Barry did not. The time was right for a coup. From now on things were going to change.

“Yes, thank you Barry, good afternoon everyone, I’m glad you could all make it for this special meeting. There are lots of new faces here as I’m sure the break-room lawyers have already noted… You know who you are! Anyway, it’s time to put the rumours to bed and put the record straight.

You are right, our numbers are growing. Not only that but I happen to know for a fact, because I heard the ‘All Mighty HR team’ – blessed be thy name”  

“Blessed be thy name and glory to their wisdom”, chorused the crowd with well-practised fear.

“We carrots were bought here separately from Waitrose as you know, and I overheard a discussion as we were being carried from the Holy Car-Boot.”

As Barry carefully joined in with every single vegetable in the cupboard and made the sacred sign of the steering wheel at the mention of the Lord’s Nissan, he also coughed. This was not on the agenda and he wasn’t happy at all. Where was this going?

“Our numbers are not yet fully grown. There are more vegetables coming. A team we all will know. Ladies and Gentlemen – The parsnips are coming!”

The crowd gasped, the potatoes practically screamed in excitement while the sweed just sighed inwardly.

Barry could hardly breathe. He hated the parsnips. They were full of themselves and arrogant. They would challenge his authority from the moment they arrived. Why were the parsnips coming anyway? What did that actually mean?

Unless? Oh God no! Before Barry could think any further, Christopher continued.

“Yes, the parsnips are coming and that is NOT all. Everyone prepare yourself. There is a Turkey on order. There is a huge pot of cranberry sauce out there.  It’s Christmas people.  You all know what Christmas means don’t you? Barry? You do know what Christmas means don’t you?”

Barry knew. All the Brussels knew. Their days were numbered. Everyone’s were. The cupboard would be emptied. The whole company would be put into liquidation.

For some reason the bombshell came as a relief. The loneliness and rejection of being the vegetable that everyone loves to hate was coming to an end. As he looked around him he could see that he wasn’t the only one feeling like this. The Untouchables were no longer despised. Everyone was in the same boat, all were now equal. There would be no one left behind this time.

As his fellow sprouts shook hands with peas, and carrots patted runner beans’ backs he made a decision. Slowly, he walked over to red cabbage. Barry had never actually spoken to Red before, they had never hit it off. They never really could accept each other, but the time was right for one of them to make the move. Barry stood and smiled awkwardly, as did Red. They both thrust out their hands to shake but it just didn’t seem right.

“Oh sod it!” shouted Barry as he moved forward and threw his arms out. Red laughed as he took the embrace and warmly gave it back. No words would do the moment justice, I’m welling up just thinking about it. Barry and Red nodded at each other; they would face this together.    

  

Barry turned, caught Christopher’s attention and banged his hands on the table to gain attention.

Once the crowd was quietened he spoke. “I’d just like to say a big Thank You to Chris for bringing this news to our attention. Things are going to be difficult but we can do this. We stick together people. All of us.

Somebody break open the emergency ale and get some music on. Come on everyone let’s party, let’s dance. It’s Christmas people – start smiling.”

The crowd cheered and began to bustle as preparations for a party began. Meanwhile Christopher came over, patted Barry on his broad shoulder and said, “So this is it then?”

“Yep”, said Barry, “Happy Christmas”

And he meant it.

Meanwhile, in a field by a farm in the next village along, Trevor the Turkey looked over at the smiling farmer who was walking towards him with a sack in one hand and his chopper in the other and thought, ”Oh now that’s different, I wonder what he wants?”

What I Want For Christmas

By Laura Rogers
http://www.stoopinitinthesuburbs.blogspot.com/ 

My lofty ideals of the past and what I want for Christmas now has definitely changed over time. As a single mom of two teens, I have to keep it real.  I have always been an idealist, but a positive stark reality has taken over. That is not all bad either. I think the lessons learned in life and on my journey as a single mom have taught me my priorities in life. I have much more common sense than I did as a young mom and I feel proud of that.

We are living in a tough economy. Just one year ago I escaped a foreclosure on my home. This is the home that I was able to keep after a bitter, ugly divorce. This is the home my children have lived in for most of their lives.  I am so very grateful that US Bank worked with me to lower my home mortgage. I am sure that they felt safe since I have been employed with the same non profit for many years. I had like so many others, lost one of two great jobs.

My Christmas wish is that I can buy at least one gift for each of my children. One gift that they really want. My kids are teens, so they only want those "pricey gifts" that we single moms wince at.  In their defense, I have them begging me to go to consignment shops now.  Ahhhhhh.

I want to be able to pay all my bills all the way through the holiday season instead of the dreaded staggering pattern.  I know I am not the only mom that does this to stay afloat. Going paycheck to paycheck is a pretty common scenario in this economy of ours.

I work as a director at a non profit organization. I love getting up each and every day knowing that the work we do with families actually Saves families. I have such a caring and passionate staff and the volunteers are absolutely amazing. We help at risk families and children who are homeless, have a new start in life. Unfortunately, we are being furloughed during the holidays, so this rearranging of the little I do make, is being compromised once again.  I am grateful I have a job and know that others have issues far worse. I thank God for all I have.

I wish for Christmas that my children know how very much I love them and that money does not make life necessarily easy. In fact, at times when I have less than ten dollars left at the end of the month, we have spent more quality time  and laughed and smiled more than we did when we "Had" what we wanted.

My wish for Christmas is that each and every one of us can be conscious of those around us. During the holiday season, so many families struggle. Please look around you and do what you can to help. It may be just smiling at a mom in the grocery store when she is feeling overwhelmed as she shops.  Maybe you hear of someone close to you that can't afford Christmas dinner. I took over a complete thanksgiving dinner to a family in need.  Where is the need in your community?  Please, let's all pay it forward and remember when someone helped us at some point in our life.

You just never know how loved you can make someone feel at this holiday season.

Laura

The 'Wee Folks' Christmas Special

By
Gary Pennick
http://klahanie.blogspot.com/

And thus, Fidelina, the beautiful fairy princess, Geoffrey the garden gnome, and their wee son, Einahalk, rejoiced in the warm, reassuring glow of the twinkling Christmas lights.

The 'wee folks', such wondrous, magical creatures, had come in from the cold and gathered in the comfort of the living room.   All different, all equal, celebrating the magic of a special time.

Such diversity.  Their's is a world where all is possible and no judgement is ever passed.

See the joy, the sheer delight on the faces of the wee folks.  They know that life should be a celebration of all that is good.

And the party continued.  They danced and they sang to sweet tunes of love, hope and understanding.

In the above photograph are Venetia, the sister of Fidelina, and bridesmaid from the enchanting wedding of Fidelina, the beautiful fairy princess and Geoffrey, the garden gnome.  Standing beside her is the 'best gnome',  Teagan.  There was a hint of romance between the two of them at the magic-filled wedding on the first day of summer.  Note the gnome in the background, Yrag, who is the best friend of Teagan.

And here is a happy little monkey, with his great long arms, wrapped over a couple of friendly garden gnomes. Nice tinsel effect, happy little monkey.

Dreams can come true.  Dare to believe in yourself.  Fidelina, Geoffrey and their beautiful little boy, Einahalk, wish you a peaceful, happy and so very positive Christmas.

And the wee folks gazed out the window.  They looked out, looked up, at moon drenched sky.  Tis a marvel to behold the shining orb through winter branches.  Soon they would leave.  Return to their world of love and peace.

Their message to us is simple, yet profound.  For the wee folks live in their wee world, where stigma, labels and the passing of judgement, are bizarre and baffling concepts.  May we learn from them.   Let us celebrate and rejoice the diversity of mankind.  And just like in their world, we can truly be, all different, all equal.

A little glitz

Ryan

http://currentripple.blogspot.com/

So, here we are rocketing towards another Christmas (yes I am using the "C" word) Season filled with bright eyed kiddies, stressed out parents, the shopping, the hustle and the bustle, the wrapping, the mailing, and the chocolate.  Oh, let's talk about the chocolate. Chocolate. But I digress.

I am avoiding the stress this year, by basically having no shopping to do for anyone, well unless I, myself, spot that glittery trinket that I just have to have. I guess it's another one of those stages of getting older, when the gifts of the gatherings are about conversation and catching up, rather than the gifts of "stuff".

Don't get me wrong, the giving of gifts is still something I love to do, just now on a more personal nature, more often something "just because" fits where I am right now. The surprise "something" that shows up on a friend’s desk, or the arrival of an "I appreciate you" card in their mailbox. It’s those personal “I was thinking about you and wanted you to know you are special to me” things, marked not by a single day on the calendar, but because, just because.

I sent a wicked arrangement of flowers to my boss, who happens to be a beautiful friend, some months ago, and I only signed the card with "We appreciate everything that you do.” She still has no idea who sent them...that is my kind of giving...

I am also not given to use VISA this year, which makes me happy. I won't have to wait with baited breath come January; to heft the 8 page bill onto the kitchen counter, enjoying at last, the hangover from overindulging on my PIN protected chip card.

So what about you? Have your giving ideals changed this year? Have you cut back, cut down, and revved it up? What say you, Christmas Shoppers?

Now…where is the chocolate?

A Message from the Founder's Keyboard

Greetings and welcome to the December 2011 edition of RBU: The Group Blog!

What a year it's been for us here at RBU:TGB!   Honestly it amazes me that it's nearly 2012!  Where has the time slipped away to?  Because it seems just like yesterday that I was tapping out the very first of these little messages from the founder's keyboard.  Oh it's not been all gumdrops and lollipops here on my end...there were a few moments where I really doubted whether or not we'd make it this far.  But it seems like just when I thought no one out there cared about whether or not RBU continued...I was pleasantly reminded that I didn't need to worry because no matter what, we always wound up getting terrific submissions that set my mind at ease because there have been some wonderful moments here at our little blog site filled with submissions by members whose work I truly believe rivals the writing of many 'big time' writers!

I'm not just saying that to puff up anyone's chest either.  No!  Because when I look back at some of the posts that have appeared here I'm genuinely proud to say that I know the writer...granted it's in a wholly virtual way considering that most of our members are thousands of miles away from one another and are scattered all across this fabulous big blue marble spinning madly around the sun.

Being that it's now December and many of our members are prepping for one (or perhaps more) of the joyous and festive activities that come during this month including things like Christmas, Chanukkah, or Kwanza or whatever other festivities our members may choose to celebrate during December, it warms my heart to know that our little spot in the blogoverse has been able to weather some writing/submission doldrums. And now that 2011 is winding up and we've entered into what is commonly referred to as the 'Season of Giving' regardless of whether you make your home north of the Equator where winter is already in full swing or if you happen to live 'down yonder way' in the southern hemisphere where your Christmastime (or whatever festive occasion it may be that you celebrate during this time of year), comes amid sweltering high temperatures, I have great hope that we can and will make it through another year (or two or three or more!)

That having been said, this month our theme was quite simple:  all we asked was for our members to tell us about what traditions they celebrate during this particular time of year.  We didn't care if the submissions were  goofy or sentimental or were a pleasant blending of the two...because the work our members have submitted has always been top drawer.  I hope you'll pop by again in the next couple of days to read the submissions because I'll wager a broad smile that you'll agree with me!

Here's wishing you and yours a peaceful (insert your particular festive seasonal occasion here) this December.  I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for all the wonderful bloggers here at RBU!

Cheers to ya!