Magic for Christmas?

Magic for Christmas?

I don’t know how it works for most families but in mine, people make Christmas lists. It is common to hear each of us saying to others, what do you want for Christmas and surprise, on Christmas they open a gift, or gifts and say, oh wow just what I wanted, thank you. When I was a kid, there was no Christmas in the country where Christ walked and preached. Mom got us some modest gifts but didn’t say why. Kids who received Christmas gifts were considered aliens in Israel.

I remember my first Christmas in full detail, something that most of you probably don’t. It was 1967, centennial year, and I was a newcomer in Canada. A co-worker of my dad’s had two daughters about my age, and invited me to go with them to a place they called “The Mall.” It was the Chinook Mall that still exists in Calgary but now is much bigger. I have never been to a “Mall” before. I was wearing some of the clothes that came with me, in a suitcase on the plane. It was my warmest but not adequate for the cold weather that year, nor did it look Canadian. Most passers-by took a look at me, stopped and looked again. I acted tough, didn’t shiver and looked back with defiance.

A lot has changed since 1967, but a lot is still the same. The mall which used to be much smaller then compared to now was gigantic in my eyes. There were lights and music, moving stairs, Santa with Elves and a huge amount of merchandise piled or hung in very attractive ways. Blinking decorations and to my surprise, a lot of artificial greenery mimicking the outdoors rather unconvincingly. I came here from the land of the birth of “our Lord” but have never seen a decorated Christmas tree, and here were dozens of them with so many gifts, wrapped and unwrapped waiting to be sold for cash. The credit card was not yet invented, as far as I knew.

Most striking were the people who seemed to be moving fast, unimpressed with the displays or even with some live entertainment here and there, shopping. I didn’t yet know the word “shopping” and didn’t associate it with an activity that is necessary for living. What became obvious to me on that trip was that we were in the land of plenty, but most things were not for us. It was there, easy to touch but when I looked at the price tag, I realized that it was for a different class of people who for some reason had a lot more money. It took me years to understand why so few had so much while others had much less and many more had close to nothing. Most of the poor people worked very hard and very long hours.

The people I was with were working people and quickly headed to the cheaper stores like Woolworth and K Mart where decorations were not as nice, and the place looked somewhat messier, and merchandise was not of best quality. At that time the cheapest was stuff made in Japan. Mostly we were forced to use our hard earned cash on things that broke easy and fast.  People often looked at their handwritten notes since there were no cell phones to type Christmas lists in and compare prices on the internet.

This brings me back to my Christmas list this year which I don’t even have to write. I been here now over fifty years and I have all the material things that I want. I don’t know what to write on my Christmas wish list. It is a long time since the days when all of my material possessions were in one suitcase, and there was no money in my pocket. I watch people who spent the same years in the country I came from and see that they have more or less the same. Wow, I whisper to myself, I could have stayed there and theoretically lived just about the same. The main difference is, here we lived in peace.

If I must come up with a gift that I would truly enjoy, I decide, let's ask for something really magical. I will not get it, but I will have a chance to explain why I want it. I would like an “Indestructible Truth Wand” for Christmas. It could be any little stick, but when aimed at someone it will force them to tell the truth. The truth can be hurtful at times but would it ever make a difference. I could point it at some kid, and he or she would say to me, you are an ugly old fool, and I would have to smile and say, thanks, I know.

Just imagine how much you could change the world if people knew that you have a Truth Wand and people must tell the truth if it’s pointed at them. First, you would find that news reporters would set camp around you and people would offer you trips to go places and force the truth out of political leaders, industry moguls, and even little kids would request that you will make their moms and dads say what they truly think. You could take the wand to a jail and free half of the inmates and later go to the stock market exchange and get new inmates to fill up the jail to over capacity. You could go to parliaments, major churches, and some media outlets and make some good catches. The wand wouldn’t give you any solutions, only make people honest, regardless of their intentions, good or bad.

If a Truth Wand made its way into my hands, I would use it first to make life bearable for all existing people which would immediately slow down human birth rates and slow down the danger of us destroying our planet. What do you think Santa, can I have one?