By MPP Bobbi Ann Brady
Christmas will come and go as it does every year. The anticipation is what many of us enjoy despite our grumbles about crowded stores, busy roads, money, and the time spent making sure the dinner table is fit for the King himself.
While Christmas is the holy and sacred season of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the holiday is observed differently worldwide, from community to community and home to home. Regardless, this is the ideal time of the year to spread happiness, peace, and goodwill toward all man – hence the ‘spirit’ of the season.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Scrooged, you may remember the line, “It’s Christmas Eve. It’s the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer and smile a little easier. For a couple of hours out of the year, we are the people we always hoped we would be. It’s a miracle.”
I recently saw this spirit, this sort of miracle, as the Legislature prepared to wrap up for Christmas. There was indeed an atmosphere of goodwill between us parliamentarians. There was joking between members who otherwise aggressively go after one another in question period. There was the trading of Christmas cards, handshakes, and hugs. What a wonderful, magical feeling.
As a child, my Christmas wish would always be for something material. Today, I wish for the miracle of Christmas for absolutely everyone. The truth is that many in our communities are having a hard time finding the magic of the season for reasons of grief or socio-economics. Please reach out to those struggling this season—something we should be doing throughout the year.
Those who make a point to annually watch It’s a Wonderful Life will know the movie reminds us to be charitable and to appreciate how blessed some of us indeed are.
I find Christmas a time of reflection; this past year has provided me with much to reflect on. Throughout 2022, I have been through highs and lows; I’ve cried tears of frustration and sadness but also many tears of happiness. This year has gifted me with stories that could fill a book someday. Being able to go through this gamut of feelings and emotions reminds me I am blessed beyond measure.
I assure you that the best gift you can give anyone, aside from love, is experience. Experiences will make us far richer than money and bring us far more happiness.
Nearly 17,000 of you have given me one of the most brilliant experiences – representing Haldimand-Norfolk at Queen’s Park in the most genuine way possible as an Independent. It’s a great responsibility but a gift for which I will forever be thankful.
I am looking forward to being with my family around the Christmas table. The fact I don’t particularly appreciate cooking any other day of the year — except for Christmas — will always be real. My brother Michael, imitating Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, never grows old! And no matter how old my children grow, watching them open their gifts will always transport me back to a time when Santa was larger than life.
Christmas will once again come and ago and will be imperfectly perfect. Focus on the small things that will create a beautiful memory for someone. From my home to yours, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Bobbi Ann Brady is the MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk