Patricia Sands

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Social issues

‘Tis the season … and Tameri is here too!

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Today was our 4-year-old grandson’s Christmas concert. They are still allowed to use that title at his school and rightly so as the greatest majority of families in that community celebrate Christmas …  not necessarily from the religious perspective.images

IMHO, it was just the way a Christmas concert should be with excited, joyful children proudly singing the cheery  holiday songs and classic carols they have been practising for weeks. Each group, from JK to Grade 5, looked like a representation of a classic Norman Rockwell painting. Beaming faces, toothless smiles, waving to their families, nudging each other, gazing off into space, a few doing nasal maintenance, some loudly singing while others shyly murmured, fidgeting, bouncing  … you know the scene … absolutely delightful!

Needless to say, I teared up a few times as I watched those innocent children sing about peace and love and goodwill to  mankind. If only we could have every adult in the world doing the same.

happy_diwali_mainThey also sang Hanukkah songs as well as a beautiful Diwali selection that was accompanied by a sitar. All the cultural traditions represented in their school community that are celebrated at this time of year were honoured. As they should be.

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How timely that the concert was today when I have one of my most favourite people visiting here and she surprised me by writing a post about traditions at this time of year around the world. I want to 6172_1063464157386_1549453496_30141997_5185181_ntell you that Tameri Etherton is one of the nicest, brightest, most thoughtful and seriously hilarious women I have never met … True! At least not in person. Our friendship has blossomed since the summer of 2011 when we were both enrolled in one of Kristen Lamb’s well-known online blogging courses. We had the great good fortune to bond with an amazing writing group that has become a family. The in-person meeting will happen this summer at the RWA annual conference in Atlanta, if all goes as planned. Woohoo! It’s a party waiting to happen!

Tameri is a talented writer whose blog is always a great spot to visit and you can do that by clicking right here.We are all eagerly awaiting the pending release of her first novel!

So, with even greater trumpet fanfare than usual, accompanied by a magnificent and festive drumroll … please welcome Tameri  (I notice she is quite restrained and behaving herself today … guess she’s keeping her eye on Santa’s naughty list)!

When Patricia first invited me to be a guest on her blog, I was thrilled. I mean, Patricia Sands! International Woman of Mystery!  (Note from Patricia – LOL,okay Tameri, I liked it better when you called me the Kickass Crush of The Month on your blog!)

Then a moment of panic set in. What would I blog about? 

I knew that it had to be something international and since we’re so close to Christmas, which I adore, I figured it might be fun to write about some different customs around the world. Thank you, Patricia, for giving me this chance to hang out with your readers and have some Christmas fun! 

What better place to start our Christmas World Tour than in France, since it’s practically Patricia’s second home.

In France they call Christmas Noël and Santa is Père Noël. Father Christmas, how romantic is that? I love it.

 Instead of hanging stockings by the fire with care, children in France put out their shoes on Christmas Eve for Père Noël to fill with fruit, nuts, and small toys. Am I the only one thinking those children should find their cleanest, largest boots to put out? You can’t put many toys in dainty slippers, now can you?

 The focal point of most French homes’ decorations is the nativity, not the tree like in the US.

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Over in Australia they decorate trees, but also have a Christmas Bush that they will surround themselves with when they go out caroling. In 1937 Carols by Candlelight began in Melbourne and today in excess of 10,000 people will join in to sing their favorite Christmas songs. I bet that sounds amazing.

 Something you won’t find in Australia? A white Christmas. Since it’s summer there, you might see Santa arriving by surfboard and it isn’t uncommon to find families having a traditional Christmas dinner on the beach. Can you imagine swimming or playing cricket in the back garden on Christmas Day?

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Photo from http://uniquetravelsblog.blogspot.ca/2011_11_01_archive.html

 

I can, but then, I live in Southern California, so unwrapping gifts in 80 degrees plus weather isn’t surprising to us.

 The Aussies partake of a similar meal to the US with turkey, ham, and pork dishes. Their traditional dessert is plum pudding, which is neither made with plums or is a pudding. It’s more like a fruitcake. Sort of. The coolest thing about the pudding? It’s served flaming! Back during the Australian gold rush, a nugget of gold was baked into the pudding. Now days, a small trinket is inserted before baking. Whoever finds the favor is said to enjoy good luck.

 In Ireland they won’t be surfing on Christmas Day, but they will be celebrating the second of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Yes, you read that right. Traditionally, the twelve days referred to in the popular song start on Christmas Eve and continue until January 6th, when Epiphany is celebrated.

 December 26th is the Wren Boys Procession when children in Ireland go door to door singing carols. They carry a stick topped with a holly bush and a wren. They used to have a dead wren tied to the stick, but thankfully, now they use a fake one. When they finish singing, the children will ask for money for the ‘starving wren’. Sounds a bit like Halloween, to me! The best part? The kids get to keep the money.

 I hope you’ve enjoyed this little jaunt around the world. There are many more customs and traditions we didn’t have time to explore, but are equally fascinating!

 This holiday season, no matter what your tradition or customs, I hope you’ll find joy in the simple things and love for those in all walks of life.

 What are some special traditions you have? Do you think you might try some caroling with a fake wren? How about surfing with Santa?

Tameri, you sugarplum fairy, do you have your Christmas tiara all polished up?  Thank you for all of this fab information about other Christmas traditions. I’ll bet you will be writing about what I imagine will be over-the-top Etherton traditions on your blog, so send us the link when you do. In the meantime, dear readers, when you visit  Tameri’s sparkly blog, A Cup of Tea and Sorcery , you will also find links there to connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Go ahead. Do it! You will be very glad you did! She is simply THE best kind of friend!

In case you are still hungering for more Yuletide talk,  here’s a cool Christmas website that talks about Christmas in every country around the world.

 

Hey girls – want to play hockey?

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I am such a fan of the Canadian Women’s Foundation! A public foundation, it consists of committed supporters, donors and volunteers across the country and diligent, enthusiastic staff workers that passionately believe in the importance of social change.

In the simplest terms, CWF invests in programs that move women and girls out of violence, out of poverty, and into confidence. In part these programs strive to:

 teach young people about healthy relationships;

 counsel children who have witnessed violence, to help them heal and prevent them from becoming victims or abusers themselves;

  support women as they rebuild their lives after abuse.

On Wednesday of this week, the CWF organized a wonderful evening at the headquarters of the YWCA in Toronto to celebrate some of the dedicated people from across the country who put programs in place and keep them running, often under the most difficult conditions. Having the opportunity to speak with these people was beyond inspiring.

With an increase from 14 programs offered last year to 28 this year, there is still so much work to be done! The surface is barely scratched. Please take a look at the CWF website and consider how you can be involved.

To top off this evening, the guest speaker was Sami Jo Small, a proud Olympic gold medal winner and enthusiastic co-founder of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. I must admit it was quite a thrill to hold that magnificent medal as it was passed around!

Sami’s message was powerful, as she led us on her journey from being the only girl on a boys’ hockey team in Winnipeg at the age of 5 to joyfully standing on the podium at the Olympics. She stressed how things didn’t always go as she would have wished in her career but the lesson she learned was this: you can’t always choose the role you want in life but you can choose how you play the role you are handed. Words to live by.

Investing in the power of women and the dreams of girls.

Are you involved in any work that helps to inspire young girls or educate impoverished women  to assist them in building a new life for themselves and their families? And how about girl’s or women’s hockey? Have you ever played the game or attended a women’s hockey game? Strap on your skates and give it a try!

Sad …

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I don’t want to post this. I don’t want to talk about this again. However I know we have to keep the conversation going. Bullying. Are we making any progress? This week in Canada another teen took her life as a result of bullying. What a heart-breaking tragedy. No one has the right make someone’s life so miserable.

Seven weeks ago Amanda Todd posted this video on YouTube. How is it possible that  our system failed her?

A memorial fund has been set up through the Royal Bank of Canada and donations may be made at any branch. I wasn’t able to find an online link at this point.

In  just ten days, we should all be talking about the International Stand Up Against Bullying Day. This year October 26th is the designated day. One day is is not enough though – we need to speak out about bullying at every opportunity.

Click here to read the post I wrote about that day last November with all sorts of links to helpful sites. Everything I said then I will be saying again. I hope when we all write and speak about the fight against bullying that … sometime …  somewhere … somehow … some of us are helping to make a difference.

When I read about a situation like Amanda’s, it makes me sad … and angry … and determined to urge everyone to make even more of an effort to speak out against bullying. It simply shouldn’t happen!

The poster below offers a simple message we can share with everyone. Please pass it on. Please raise your voice and ask a young person you know to do the same. We all know bullying is not just an issue amongst young people but in this instance let’s focus on them. They are the future after all and the world needs to become a better place. Thanks!

Oct. 11 – International Day of The Girl

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Last December, the United Nations’ General Assembly officially designated October 11 as the International Day of The Girl. This Thursday, Canada and nations around the world will focus on raising awareness of the particular challenges that girls face and implement plans to take action.

Girls will be recognized as powerful agents of change and as leaders of today and tomorrow, and girl-specific issues will be highlighted.

The Canadian government led the resolution at the UN and over 100 member nations have already pledged their support. Individually we can all show our support in many ways and most easily by spreading the word and getting involved. Let’s face it, we women know how to communicate!

Every girl is someone’s daughter. Let’s make all daughters proud by honouring them and working toward gender equality and girls’ rights everywhere on this planet.

Here are some excellent links for more details on the subject. Please pass the information on and see how you can get involved with whatever your community plans for this landmark occasion.

Status of Women Canada

Plan International

Because I Am A Girl – Fabulous site! Join them on Twitter and Facebook right here!

Day of the Girl.org

I’m proud to be a member of the Canadian Women’s Foundation. I urge you to consider becoming involved in one of their innovative programs.

As a women’s foundation, we specialize in helping women and girls move out of violence, out of poverty, and into confidence.

 CWF MISSION

We invest in the power of women and the dreams of girls. The Canadian Women’s Foundation raises money to research, fund and share the best approaches to ending violence against women, moving low-income women out of poverty and building strong, resilient girls.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada, what better time to be reminded of our own good fortune and the struggles of others, near and far. We are in this life together so let’s pay it forward in whatever ways possible.

Here’s the challenge dear readers – UNLEASH THE POWER!