I always wished that Santa Claus was a real person when I was a kid, and in many ways, I wish he was real today. Not that I really want to believe in Santa, but mainly so that he could take on the responsibilities of giving out those expensive gifts to those who you wish would return the favour and also to take out all the hassle of shopping. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Scrooge in any sense, but sometimes I do wish that Santa was around all year round, just to make my wallet feel better.
If Santa were real, most stores would not be in existence today and those countries that deal in petroleum products wouldn’t be as rich as they are today, given the fact that old fashioned wooden toys have been replaced by plastic products. I suppose I shouldn’t wish for things to change as much, as I do get a kick out of trying out those fancy gadget toys before wrapping them (just to make sure that they work, of course). The things I do like about Christmas are the warm feeling you get from all those holiday spirits (not eggnog of course) and the songs that seem to spring out from every radio station and every television commercial. It is also a joyous occasion for those who are full of Christmas cheer and goodwill (until the Visa statement comes in and reality sinks in) and the games and dances that we, as Cree, often do.
Perhaps it’s the snow that abounds on the driveways and storms that close down schools that make winter and Christmas synonymous with holidays and vacations from oft-dreary day-to-day jobs. I think there are other merry folk around who have the tenacity of Santa when it comes to delivering those much-wanted gifts and my hat goes off to those who toil away at the post office. Other people who come to mind are the usually normally sane ones who wait endlessly in line for those much cherished (under stocked and overpriced, I must add) latest-in-demand toys, that cause near riots in overcrowded malls. I suppose that those people have never heard of E-bay.
I could go on and on about the merits of modern day Christmas, but I notice trends in our communities that are unique in this country. There tends to be a certain frenzy when it comes to Bingo games, with sponsors glorifying ever increasing prizes and chances are, more often than not, that more people are disappointed losers than there are ecstatic actual winners. Thus, I’ve wrote an ode to Christmas Bingos and it’s sung to the tune of Noel, Noel.
B, I, N, G, O,
B, I, N, G, Ooo
Borne of the need to pay for things in need,
With the first number called,
The dabber falls,
On the pot of gold number,
Such is the game of B, I, N, G, O
B, I, N, G, O
B, I, N, G, O (crescendo)
B, I, N , G, O
Borne of the need to pay for those in need,
When do I call for my winning number? Just at the time of the cry, asunder-
B, I, N, G. O
B, I, N, G, O (crescendo)
I rest my case.
When, in one impossible day, that my belief in Christmas returns to the original meaning of the whole Noel scene, that of a special baby borne in a manger who changed the world.
Merry Christmas to all!
