Gifts are a powerful expression of connection
It seems the internet is divided (shocking!) on the origins of the beautiful, juicy orange so many kids find in the toe of their stockings on Christmas morning.
Either it’s a symbol of the gold that Saint Nicholas, according to ancient lore, tossed down the chimney into the stockings of three girls whose father couldn’t afford dowries to marry them off. Or it’s a reminder of what a treat it was in the days before globalization to taste a sweet, tropical fruit in the middle of winter.
And of course the internet will give you a range of subcategories of oranges to choose from, along with advice about which ones are juiciest and easiest to peel on a Christmas morning.
I prefer to think of them as a symbol of the resourcefulness of the givers of gifts — a small, sweet, exotic and old-fashioned tradition.
Regardless, growing up in Hamilton, I always knew the Christmas orange would be there every year, along with a few pennies, a candy cane and usually a bottle of shampoo — a fine mix of tradition and practicality my family still abides by (minus the pennies, because Santa is not quite that resourceful).
The reliability of that tiny sweetness every year was proof that all was right in my world — the kind of comfort that children need this year more than ever.
The pandemic is so heavy on them, especially the kids who find their strength in routine as they find the courage to embark on the next stage of their lives. The unruly terror of the virus, the back-and-forth with school, the isolation, the perpetually uncertain prospects for the future. Low-income families and people of colour affected more than most.
The givers of gifts in many families will have a rough time keeping up with tradition this year. With jobs and the future so uncertain, and with many of the comforts of Christmas routine shut down or curtailed for the pandemic, recreating that atmosphere of joy and warmth will be a strain.
For 115 years, the Star’s Santa Claus Fund has supported that magic mix of tradition and practicality, providing winter gear, books and small toys to tens of thousands of children across the GTA. Our goal this year is to raise $1.2 million for 45,000 children.
The small things matter.
My parents have always insisted that they don’t want anything for Christmas, that they have everything they need and that good company and good spirits are worth far more than any gift. Of course. But every once in a while, I think back to when I was in primary school, and I’d been sent off to the local Big V drugstore (I date myself) to pick up a thing or two for the family. I wandered over to the side of the store where delicate and fascinating objects lined glass shelves next to the umbrellas, and there I saw it! The goldrimmed, opaque-white, handsized vase decorated with an auburn spray of wild flowers.
I had to find way a buy it for my mother for Christmas. Even if she didn’t want or need anything, she had to have this.
So beautiful.
I scraped and saved my allowance and found many reasons to go back to the Big V just to stare it on the shelf, and finally bought it. A white box, crisp tissue paper, a ribbon. It still glows in my memory 40-odd years later (I have already dated myself) and it makes a regular appearance in my parents’ spring garden.
Some things just need to be expressed through gifts. Please donate generously.