The familiar sounds of Christmas cheer are starting to be heard in your local box store all across North America now.
Thanksgiving and Halloween displays are changed out for the familiar colours of green and red which are supposed to symbolize... something.
No doubt, the high peak of the consumer holidays is approaching.
First, let's get one thing straight. I am not against any religious holidays though I don't participate in any. As a scientist, I am more interested in things such as the solstices and equinoxes of our planet's journey around the giant hydrogen fueled nuclear fusion ball known as our sun.
What I am against however is the mass consumption of products that are marketed to us as "deals" or "sales" to entice our consumption.
As Black Friday has just passed and Boxing Day will no doubt be coming up, I can't help but get overwhelmed with anger at the mass marketing to buy essentially junk, to the blowup ornaments in the front yard depicting reindeer and snow-globes to ghouls and ghosts for all hallows eve.
As a business owner, I understand the need to market during a time of the year when consumption is up. Bills always need to be paid unfortunately, but when you are a multi-million dollar corporation you must ask yourself, "what are your philosophies of life, money or humanity, should we sell blowup figures that last one year or something that furthers humanity?"
Families are getting together and beautiful meals born of a familial and cultural tradition are created. As a farmer, this is an opportunity to sell what I think is a good thing and further enhance what I consider and important movement.
That movement is the movement of local and organic food consumption.
This is important in a nation that imports 67-70 per cent of its produce from the world and the majority coming from a country that has recently elected a president who wants to trash all trade deals which could cause a massive increase in food prices. To be honest, I think it's time we trash the trade deals and started becoming more self-sufficient in the product that sustains us all.
I've said it a hundred times before and I'll say it again, all you need to live is clean food, clean air, clean water and someone to share it with. The rest, to quote a former employer, "is just details."
For me personally, Dec. 21 or winter solstice, is a time of celebration. The shortest day of the year passing and the fact that we will have only brighter and more sunshine-filled days ahead. I don't celebrate this day with presents or ornaments spewing energy into the dark night that is the boreal forest's winter. I celebrate it with a hearty meal and think of the days to come to which I can contribute to the bettering of not only my own life but that of my fellow residents of the Prince George region.
So, when you sit down to your yule log, born of a Germanic tribalistic pagan adaptations, ask yourself, is this what I need to express my culture in the darkest times of the year? Or shall I truly try to live a life similar to that socialistic hippie-type of guy known as Jesus born of Middle Eastern descent, and do what I can to contribute to the betterment of humanity while reducing my consumption?"
