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WHAT'S NEW
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The real meaning of Christmas
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Heartfelt, real and inspiring, the spirit of Christmas is alive and well. Take a moment to enjoy the stories Homemakers readers shared about what the true spirit of the holidays means to them.
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By Homemakers magazine and readers like you
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To people across Canada, this time of year is about so much more than gifts. We asked Homemakers readers to share some of their wonderful Christmas memories with us to help spread the spirit of the season.
A simple but meaningful gift
I was in training to be a nurse from 1943 to '46 at Winnipeg General Hospital. This meant a lot of work, very few (whole) days off, no pay and going to class on "time off duty." Going home for Christmas was not possible. Those of us who came from out of the city often worked on holidays and Sundays. Our life revolved around the hospital and our nursing cohorts. Due to shortness of cash, Christmas presents were few and far between.
One Christmas Day shift I worked on a city ward, with poor people -- many terminally ill -- who couldn't pay but still needed care. One of the patients was a lovely elderly lady. Once I was finished my care of her she said, "Please wait a minute, nurse. I haven't anything to give you but this orange. Please take it, and I wish you a Merry Christmas." She had saved this orange from her breakfast tray! To me that was what Christmas is really all about. I have never forgotten that kind gesture.
Margaret E. Nafe, Ottawa, Ont.
Caring friends during difficult times
What do you get a kilo kid? My daughter and her husband had a 23-week-old preemie, born in November. By Christmastime she had grown from 550 grams to a kilo! Instead of exchanging gifts, everyone purchased a Christmas ornament for the new baby and tucked in a monetary gift for oxygen, travelling and other expenses. On Christmas Eve a tribute was read aloud outlining the traits of family members the little one would come to know.
Today, Jaime Raine is two and a half and loves getting gifts. But during the Christmas season, we now give thanks for our excellent healthcare system and how miraculous a birth can be, especially an early one with so many struggles.
Leslie Nicholls, Calgary, Alta.
Giving without expecting anything in return
Every year I rant and rave to anyone who will listen about the evils of commercialism and how it has ruined the meaning of this holiday. Last year I decided to spare my friends and family my usual editorial and take action instead. My church was holding its annual Christmas luncheon for lonely seniors. I arrived at the Marché Bonsecours at 8 a.m. sharp on Dec. 15 and was immediately enlisted to set and decorate tables for our 500 honoured guests. We greeted and seated each and every one of them. I had so much fun getting to know them that I didn't realize I had been standing for four hours! This is one Christmas tradition I am looking forward to this year!
Maria Vani, Lasalle, Que.
Health and happiness
I found what really matters at Christmas the year my daughter (who was four) was in the hospital with pneumonia. After five days she improved dramatically and we were able to bring her home. All the things that seemed so important before she got sick -- the decorations, Christmas baking, the right napkins for Christmas dinner -- found their rightful place: the bottom of the list. Who cared if we ate peanut butter sandwiches on Christmas Day? As long as we were together and everyone was healthy. Each Christmas since, when I'm getting frazzled, I remember the lesson I learned that December about what truly matters at Christmas, and every day -- family.
Bonnie Forman, Whitby, Ont.
Bob's spirit of Christmas
Christmas morning, 1984, dawned; peacefully and improbably, my husband and young sons were still sleeping. At that moment, the doorbell rang. As my husband opened it, I could hear a great deal of mayhem, and "Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas!" Who to my wondering eyes should appear but Santa! He had stockings for the boys, a hug for Mom and Dad and cheery Christmas wishes for everyone. Santa, a.k.a. Bob Johnson, was a friend of John's. Earlier that fall, he had been heartbroken as his wife, Nancy, suffering from MS, had been permanently admitted to a long-term care facility. He had decided to take Christmas joy to others in his community rather than dwelling on his family's misfortune.
This was the beginning of Bob's "Spirit of Christmas" -- a tradition that continued for many years in Calgary and grew to include many volunteers who traversed the city on Christmas Eve, delivering gifts of decorations, food, toys and good cheer to families whose Christmas would be otherwise bleak. Both Bob and my husband have passed on, but my memories of that Christmas morning will continue to be shared with my now-adult children and my grandchildren to be.
Wendy Timmermans, Airdrie, Alta.
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