GIFT

Do you remember what you got for Christmas?  Or what you did?  Or what the whole experience was like?  I’m guessing not.  Or at least it took you a few seconds to remember. 

I got a picture of an owl for Christmas.  Turns out we were at an art show in the fall, and there was this painting of an owl hanging on the wall.  I’ve had some close encounters (as close as the thickness of a windshield) with owls, and lots of good sightings, so I took to it right away.  And, because I have the best of spouses, it re-appeared on Christmas morning.  Added bonus: it’s an original.  We know the artist.

Tonight we are going to hang the owl (so to speak), staring down from my office wall.  Here are four things my new owl buddy will always remind me of:

1.      Christmas happened.  Same as always.

2.     Of all the considerations that Christmas raises—it’s reason for being, it’s commercialization, it’s future—the best consideration is the phenomenon of gift.  As in, life is a gift.  The air you breathe is a gift.  There is nothing that isn’t a gift.  Better than anything else, Christmas underscores that.  Everything is gift, and we all get to participate.  Not just at Christmas, but whenever, wherever.  The owl will remind me; the gift that keeps on giving.

(On a side note, I see that somebody complained to the human rights folks this year because some institution was insensitive enough to display a Christmas tree.  The plaintiff was thereby offended, or triggered, or marginalized, and I thought to myself, that plaintiff should just shut the hell up and go buy something for somebody.  Or do something for somebody.  Get into giving mode.  That would cure what ails you.  Might even make you appreciate the Christmas tree.)

3.     In our lives, we’ve had many terrific Christmas celebrations, most of them in northern Canada where there’s always snow at Christmas.  This year, in Victoria, there was no snow until a few weeks after Christmas.  Even at that, it only stuck around for a few days.  Was it a bad thing to have a green Christmas instead of a white Christmas?  No.  It was great.  But my owl will always remind me of the north, and snow, and white Christmases, and etc.  A lotta gifts right there.

4.     And finally, one more thing that owl will remind me of.  In the preceding post, I mentioned a woman who told me to write some more stuff.  Another woman recently told me the same thing.  Into my brain went those two things, mixed around for a bit, and out came OWL, Our Writing Lady.  Should really be Our Lady of Writing, but the acronym doesn’t work that way.  OWL.  Wisdom, the spirit of writing, staring down at me from the wall, telling me to write.  Or something like that.  OWL be darned.

Reminder:  Christmas is only 337 days away. But we can all do some giving at any time.  Happy New Year.