I grew up in a Jewish family so Christmas has never been hard-wired in my brain. When I was a kid living in a bi-religious neighborhood in the Toronto suburbs, I looked forward to going to my friends’ homes to play with the new toys they received on Christmas morning. When I was a taxi driver in the 70s and early 80s, I used to drive on Christmas. It was a work day (and a lucrative one in those days).  When I lived on the West Coast, I took part in my first Christmas dinners and began to understand the importance of Christmas in the annual cycle of life of my friends of Christian background. I saw that Christmas meant a lot of different things to different people.

After I married a non-Jewish woman from the Caribbean, Christmas became part of my annual cycle of celebrations although neither of us are religious in the least. I learned how to put up a tree and I cooked my share of turkeys. Having a child added a new dimension to Christmas. Although I’m no longer married, I will be celebrating later today with my teenage son, his mother, grandmother and great-aunt as I do every year.

There are a couple of things that I really like about Christmas. First of all, on a sensory level, the food is always great. Everyone enjoys a special meal. I particularly appreciate the Trinidadian twist with yummies such as sorrel, punch a creme, callaloo and crab, macaroni pie, pastelles and black cake.

But what I really like most about Christmas is that it’s the only time of the year in Toronto when almost everything shuts down . Sure you’ll find the odd gas station, corner store and Pizza Pizza open for business, but for the most part, the city is as quiet as it ever gets.  Almost everyone (except essential services and hotel workers) get the day off.

After weeks of commercialism, carols and shopping, the analogy that comes to mind is sexual.  The last few days of shopping are a giant spending orgy (not so original). The commercial shut-down on Christmas is sort of like that post-orgasmic period of bliss, relaxation and contentment that comes over people after satisfying their desires. Boxing Day is kind of like the time when you’re back in the mood.

What does any of this have to do with Obama? Not much except to say that Obama shares a couple of things with Christmas. First, just as different people experience Christmas in different ways, people see in Obama what they want to see in him. He has the ability to reflect back the values that people want to see. Second, for many, he represents the hopes for a better life and a world of peace (even as his luster quickly fades as the reality of his foreign policy rolls out). Finally, Obama, like Christmas, is based on faith.

Gary Shaul

Gary Shaul is a life-long Torontonian and retired Ontario civil servant. He's been involved with a number of issues over the past 45 years including trade unionism, proportional representation, Indigenous...