Wingin' It

Yes, as we speak Chef C. in in the kitchen whipping up a batch of chicken wings (honey garlic for those of you who think your chosen flavor of chicken wing is the equivalent of a personality quiz); hence the first part of the "Wingin' It" title.

The second part, and I've been marinating on this one for a while, refers to the current Holiday Season, and how human beings park their frontal lobes from December 1 to January 3, and emerge into the Holiday fray "Wingin' It".  

I can hear the groans:

"Another whiny Holiday blog about the maddening throngs of people..."

Or my personal favorite, "She should just stay out of the malls/all public places... she's killing my Holiday buzz".

Well boys and girls, I've tried.  I've tried locking myself away for the last 30 days of the year, but stuff happens.  Bills shockingly don't get paid. The cats verge on becoming feral. My employer gets a little cranky that I don't show up to work. You see how it gets complicated.  To bring complicated to an entirely new level, I work in a mall.  Yup, my office is in a mall office tower.  So the "Holiday Season" starts for me sometime between Halloween and Remembrance Day.  And it's too early.  And it's too much.  Really, really early, and really, really too much.

And I don't celebrate Christmas - to toss in a spice of politics, I'm not a Christian so I don't celebrate it. Here's where this time of year starts to wear on me.  I don't find December 1 to January 3 frustrating because of the emphasis on the Christian holiday.  I find it frustrating because there isn't an emphasis on the Christian holiday. Hmmm... I can hear those groans turn into raised eyebrows.  Sniff, Sniff.  It's fishy when atheists defend Christians.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who see this time of year as a well deserved opportunity to surround themselves with friends and family; people who use this time of year to reflect on the mysteries of their faith, and to celebrate the earthly arrival of one of the most important members of their faith.  And while I do take this time of year to spend time with my family and friends, I'm a little envious that I don't have a faith base to fall back on.  A part of me wants this time of year to have a deep spiritual meaning.  Now hold your breath for what's next.  For the first, and probably only time, I find myself nodding along with Margaret Wente in a December 2009 Globe and Mail article when she describes "envy[ing] people of faith".

What I fail to embrace, and to be honest respect, is how these 30 some-odd days have become about buying things for people, for Christmas.  And I can guess what you're thinking.  This is a modern-day incarnation of the Magi bringing the small, helpless Savior gifts to show love, respect, reverence and worship.  Sure - I get it.  But did they bring Jesus a Nintendo Wii? Did they think that Mary, as a new Mum, would appreciate organizing her hectic new schedule on an iPad?  After seeing the North Star did the Magi double-check the location on their new Garmins? And just as a heads up, Canadians spent $7.3 billion dollars on Holiday gift giving in 2007 (Thanks once again Globe and Mail!). Yup, I said billions. And I really, really wonder how much of that $7.3 billion was spent on the newest and greatest "thing"? That "thing" now sitting in a pile of newest and greatest from year previous, all purchased in the fevered pitch of "necessary" Holiday shopping.

I'm not trying to take the fun out of giving a well thought-out gift to someone you love over the Holiday Season.  I just thought it might be worthwhile to think a little bit harder about why we're buying things.  And what it means to buy things this time of year.

To put it bluntly, I think it's really about intent.  Let us use our intent wisely, and be honest about why we wield and flash our debit and credit cards.

Now I intend to follow my nose and find those chicken wings, and festively reach across the table and give one to my favorite person this Holiday Season.