’Tis the season of giving, and in keeping with the concept of showing kindness to other this holiday season, we invited a handful of local people to suggest five unexpected gifts they’d give this Christmas.
These couldn’t be gifts with any significant monetary value, nor anything to do with politics.
Instead, we asked them to share generous deeds/gifts they might give to a complete stranger in these last few days leading up to Christmas.
We received some meaningful, creative, and thoughtfully unexpected gifts you too might wish to share this holiday season.
We will be publishing one of these lists each day, counting down to Christmas Day.
Brandon Gabriel
Kwantlen First Nation’s multi-media visual artist
1) SHARING – I have received many Kwantlen Potlatch blankets as special honours for my work in the community. These are treasures and significant to me. I would like to now pass those blankets on to the families who lost their homes in the fire in Langley City. May they find good health, comfort, and care in the days ahead.
2) EDUCATION – My Kwantlen community has opened its doors to other communities to learn about Kwantlen history, protocols, and decolonizing workshops this past year. In keeping with the spirit of that endeavour we wish to keep sharing those gifts throughout the new year.
3) AWARENESS – I want to make sure everyone cares for the ecology of the planet and to acknowledge that all our precious ecosystems are inter-connected, and we need to keep looking after these important spaces. I will do my part.
4) ARTISTS – I will support local artists and makers of local handmade, organic products this year. Artists are innovators of creative ideas and need to make a living, and your support goes a long way in that endeavour.
5) FAMILY – I come from a huge family, and I am lucky to have so many family members as a part of my life. I will make room for my friends who don’t have families to go home to, and I will cherish my first holiday with my nine-month-old daughter Jamie, and my wife Melinda.
