Xmas - season of fine weather, good cheer, incessant begging

By Robert Lalah

I knew something was amiss the second the garbage collector started smiling. "Mawning bossy," said he with an enthusiastic wave. Stunned by this unusual display of civility, I waved back, wondering what could be the cause of this normally surly fellow's turnaround.

Then it happened. After throwing bags of garbage into the waiting, sputtering truck, the still smiling man strutted ever so casually over to the mailbox and deposited therein, a small brown envelope. I realised then and there that I was in the midst of a Christmas tip solicitation - that timeless dance where people you hardly know and who show little interest in their jobs for 11 months of the year suddenly present themselves to be rewarded for services rendered.

The garbage collector gave one final wave then hopped on to the back of the truck. As it drove off he yelled, "'Bout next week dem time yah!" Apparently this is when he will require his envelope returned to him, filled, of course, with an expression of my appreciation.

Ah yes, it's Christmas. 'Tis the season of fine weather, good cheer and incessant begging. You will forgive me, I hope, if I'm not too thrilled about this last part. You see, I love Christmas. I could break out in song and a Broadway-type dance number just thinking out the magic of the time.

Where do you draw the line?

Happily, people tend to have more money to spend at Christmas because of bonuses, increase in sales and so on. The trouble is, the number of people who expect to receive a percentage of your new found (temporary) wealth seems to get bigger every year. And it's hard to decide who to give. It's the season for helping others after all, but where do you draw the line?

How do you know that the garbage man who left the envelope in your mailbox is the one who has been collecting from your home all year? It's not always clear. Plus, there's a scrawny, big-headed character who has been known to travel all over town telling people he's their garbage man before asking them for some "small change". I once asked him where exactly he worked. His response was, "All over." You can't argue with that.

Along with bills and receipts, a tip envelope will likely be part of the postman's next delivery. I suppose he deserves it though. He's valiantly hanging in there even as the technological tide threatens to send him the way of the phone booth.

Should I really tip the person who sells me newspapers, as a way to say, well, thanks for selling me newspapers?

What about all the people who show up in shopping malls with two or three children hanging on to them? Are they being honest when they say the children have nothing to eat? How can you say no to them?

Another worthy cause

The ringing bells of the Salvation Army's kettle drive collectors signal another worthy cause. You can't jolly well walk out of a store carrying giant shopping bags without leaving something with the friendly faced bell-ringer after all. That's just callous.

It's hardest to say no to children and the elderly. You figure that older people grew up in a time when self-reliance was more widely regarded as a virtue, so they wouldn't be begging if it wasn't absolutely necessary. And children have little or no control over their financial situation, let alone who their parents are.

Because of the state of the economy the number of people out begging this Christmas will be high. Since it's simply impossible to help everyone who asks, we have no choice but to harden our hearts even a little. This really is unfortunate, and it won't help a nation that's becoming increasingly cold. I suppose a good way to combat this, though, is to make sure we help those we can. It won't solve the world's greater problems but for those on the receiving end, it could very well feel like a Christmas miracle.

Robert Lalah is assistant editor - features, and author of the popular 'Roving with Lalah'. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com.