December 3, 2013
Here we are, in the month of December, heading into Christmas—a season of reflection, a season of giving. And boy, do we give, which is a good thing. Half of our economy is built on the notion that we all max out our credit cards in December, purchasing things that will be broken or discarded by February 9. But for many people that’s what the season is all about. It gives us great joy to give gifts to the people we love, especially the children.
But then there’s the flip side, the madness of the season. Things like the Secret Santa office pool—which, I’m sorry, I’m just gonna say it, does not bring joy to anyone. It’s the opposite. It brings anguish, resentment and regifting. If you are a grown man or woman, there is nothing you need at the dollar store for under ten dollars. Oh look, it’s um…it’s a mug.
If you were born in Canada, if you live in Canada, you won the lotto. Which is why, this Christmas, my sister is not getting an iTunes gift card, she’s getting a goat from Plan Canada for seventy-five bucks. Now, she doesn’t keep the goat—the goat goes to a family in Africa—but you get the idea. And if that’s out of your budget, they also do sheep for fifty bucks. Chickens are available, as are vaccines. And my personal favourite, the ten-dollar anti-malaria bed net—a perfect stocking stuffer.
This season, tell them you love them with Plan Canada—and do it with a goat.