Now that Halloween is a fading memory, except for the daily chore of trying to keep all that candy away from young children, attention has shifted to Christmas — the most costly holiday of the year for most people.
Just as the malls are becoming jammed with shoppers and retailers are looking towards their usually most profitable month of the year, there’s an interesting letter being circulated via email and the Internet.
No one is really sure who the author is, but he or she has taken an interesting approach, calling on Christmas 2011 to be the “Birth of a New Tradition.”
“As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Canadians with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense of Canadian labour,” the letter begins.
“This year will be different. This year Canadians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Canadians. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by Canadian hands. Yes there is!”
The author is right. Consumers can do a lot to help the Canadian economy and fellow citizens, just as St. Albertans can for our community, by taking a look at what they’re buying for Christmas gifts.
Maybe it’s time to look at the labels more closely and try to avoid where possible those made in China or India or Thailand or Mexico products. Yes they are cheaper, and in many cases the only option available. But when it comes to children’s toys or jewelry for example, how good is the quality? And how often have foreign-made products been found to contain lead or other potentially harmful chemicals such as toxic cadmium at levels above those considered safe by Canadian standards? Go to http://www.recallowl.com/RecallIndex/Toys/2011 for the latest list of recalls.
The point is, there are ways that consumers can help their local businesses and economy simply by thinking outside the box.
As the author suggests, what about gift certificates? Who wouldn’t enjoy a free massage, or getting the car detailed in the middle of winter, or perhaps the driveway shovelled all winter?
Ask your teenage son what St. Albert restaurant is his girlfriend’s favourite and get him a gift certificate. He gets to impress the girl, she gets a great meal out and the restaurant and its staff all benefit.
What about Mom? What mom wouldn’t love to have a cleaning service for a day or maybe once a month?
There are St. Albert businesses that offer all of the above and plenty more options for gifts. It’s those businesses that support charitable causes locally, sponsor so many teams and deserve our support. Every dollar spent in St. Albert helps the community in so many ways.
To quote the unknown author: “Christmas is no longer about draining Canadian pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging Canadian small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And when we care about other Canadians we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine.”
It is indeed, time for a new Canadian and perhaps St. Albert Christmas tradition.
