GIFTING

I have before me the beginnings of what I will try to accomplish in this next month … my all important “To Do” list.  I’ve written it down, managed to stroke two of the items off as done, and added three more.  So far there is no stress building.  I’m fine.  After all, it’s still November.  Just barely.

Although I’ve broken the categories down to individual tasks there are only three main jobs on the list: baking, decorating, and gifts.  Baking will take place closer to the big day so I only have to do it once.  Decorating is a day I love – a quiet afternoon, a glass of wine, and just me, Christmas music, and my memories.  #3, the gotta-get-the-gifts category is not so magical.  There is too much pressure – to find the right thing for everyone, to shop local, to keep within a budget, to keep it even.  Some years it’s not too bad and others it’s torture.  It is easily my least favourite part of the holidays.

There is magic in giving, though.  Serendipity stepped in a few weeks ago and treated me to the most wonderful experience.  I’m still basking in its warmth.

A few months ago I happened to be at the right place at the right time – the dog wanted out at the exact moment when the sunrise was spectacular.  I took a picture and much to my surprise it actually showed the light, the mist, the silhouette of the tree and rocks in my garden, even the sunflower petals glowed golden in the light.  I posted it on Facebook and got a lot of “ooos” and “ahhhs”.

Fast forward to when I was on my trip with a group of people from Ontario.  Inevitably I would be asked where I was from and when I said Saskatchewan you could see the pity fill their eyes.  Little do they know about the Land of the Living Skies.  Their pity was (mostly) feigned but one of them – the gal at whose invitation I was on the trip – knew better.  She has been to our prairie place, sat on our deck, and relaxed in Saskatchewan ambience.  Immediately she would speak up with “Show them the picture, Jocelyn!”  It truly is a beautiful picture of a beautiful place and I think she loves it even more than I do.

Another bit of fast forward and I am at home again scrolling through my phone for gift inspiration when an ad pops up for taking digital photos and putting them on canvas.  In a heartbeat I knew what I needed to do. 

This lady isn’t on my Christmas gift list, but that didn’t matter – this isn’t a Christmas gift.  It’s a ‘just because it’s the perfect thing’ gift.  The Internet made it easy, it wasn’t expensive, and I knew she would love it; bing, bang, boom and it was done.  I went to bed that night light-hearted in anticipation of her happiness and smiled every time I thought of it for the next eight days until I got a text from her asking if I knew anything about a mystery parcel she had just received.  This is what they are talking about when they say “It is better to give than receive.”  She is happy with her gift and I am delighted that I hit that one out of the park.  I neither want or need anything in return.

I wish I could manage the same magic with all of the actual expected gifts on my list.  I wish there was the perfect thing for everyone, but that is unreasonable and impractical.  And, even if it were possible, the word ‘perfect’ would lose its power if it became a daily occurrence.  I will just do my best to avoid the over-commercialism of the season and hope my butter tarts will make up for any short fall.

Besides, there are other ways to get that happy buzz from giving.  There is the Salvation Army, women’s shelters, aid for Ukraine, sponsoring kids through World Vision, helping the damaged and dispossessed the world over.  Or, you can look closer to home – the neighbour who lost his job, another whose house burned down, someone dealing with debilitating health problems, time or money donations to the food bank.  The opportunities to be Santa’s helper are endless.

My wish for everyone this holiday season is that you come away from which ever gift giving you choose feeling as joyful as I did while denying I knew anything at all about that random picture showing up on a doorstep in Ontario.

Now, back to my list … I just thought of a couple more things that need to be on it.

 

UNWANTED RENEWAL

We seem to be going through a period of renewal around here.  It isn’t planned.  It is not welcome.  And it doesn’t appear to be letting up either.  The only people happy about it are the folks at the appliance store.

It started off innocently enough.  I think the first thing to quit was the kitchen clock.  In an age of everything digital we still have a big, old wall clock – numbers from 1 to 12 and the full complement of hour, minute, and second hands.  I know this is old fashioned, but it’s also comforting to know what time it is even when the power goes out.  Sometime earlier this year it started slacking on the job.  Some days it kept time, some days it couldn’t be bothered.  Changing its battery had no effect.  With nothing to lose I also took it apart and cleaned it as good as I could.  No dice: it was declared dead.

Not to worry: there was still the one in the office.  I could just switch it out.  But no, apparently they belonged to the same union and were both lobbying for early retirement.  I told them I could get replacement workers.  They said go ahead and try.

While contemplating my options I went to pour myself a cup of coffee.  From a pot that wasn’t that old and had worked just fine at breakfast time.  Nope.  Dead too. 

This was days before I was abandoning my farmer for two weeks to lolly-gag around the Adriatic Sea on a yacht.  It didn’t matter if this was another appliance job action, or not.  Coffee is not an optional part of his diet (or mine either, but I was pretty sure the yacht would have coffee).  Coffee is actual sustenance.  It is required to fire brain cells into action.  I went to town immediately and bought a new coffee maker.

And then I came home and washed one last load of laundry as I packed my suitcase only to discover a small puddle on the laundry room floor when it was time to move the clothes to the dryer. 

“No problem” I told myself.  “It’s only a small puddle.”  It’s not like Mr. Farmer was likely to do a whole bunch of laundry while I was away.  I would just deal with it when I got back.  That logic lasted an hour or two until I had to go to the basement for something for supper.  Whereas there had been a mere puddle upstairs, there was a lake in the room below.  How the water that had cascaded through the dryer vent hole and the drain tube hole hadn’t managed to short out the deep freezes and the water system pumps I don’t know, but I’m grateful.  Obviously, this very unwelcome development could have been even worse.

It was a wet harvest day so we took some togetherness time and dismantled the washing machine, found a toonie-sized hole in the pump, and pronounced that machine dead too.  He left for swathing, I did a quick tour of Circle M’s website and ordered a new one for delivery the week I would get back.  As I drove away I wondered if that was the end of things falling apart.  What would I come home to?

I don’t know if the toilet counts.

It had been giving us trouble for maybe six months or so, but it was while I was gone that it was out-with-the-old-and-in-with-new.  I came home to empty toilet packaging and a derelict washing machine on a trolley out on my deck.  Everyone knows that there is an acknowledged period of mourning for all redneck furniture and appliances, where said items ‘lie in state’ on a deck or front lawn until they are finally taken away.  I was glad to see that this process had already begun without me.

But, this disease of disfunction isn’t done with us yet.  Now my cooktop isn’t working.  It’s not the end of the world – it’s only the center ring of the large element, but wouldn’t you know it?  It’s my favorite element!  I use that one every single meal I cook.  The outer ring still works but the heat is not distributed evenly.  My favorite frying pan doesn’t fit on the smaller elements.  My husband doesn’t think it’s a big deal, but he’s wrong about that.

I’m contemplating what my next move it and meanwhile I finally ordered a couple new clocks.  At least I will be able to see what time supper won’t be ready at.