The Three Gift Rule for Christmas

All you want for Christmas (literally)

Adapted from my 2023 end-of-year speech to High School students and staff…

As I walked around the school this week, I was uplifted by the excitement from staff and students in the high school. I also could not help but notice the thousands of gifts that were being carried around. I don’t know why I should be so surprised; the end of the longest term, the end of the year, and the start of the festive season are good enough reasons to celebrate and enjoy giving and receiving gifts. I do love this time of year.

And yet, as we celebrate, we are all too aware that many people worldwide will not be enjoying time with family or friends this year.

Wars in Ukraine, Gaza and Israel (and many, many other countries) mean that tens of millions of people are displaced, no longer have a home, running water, power, sanitation, access to healthcare, nor are in a position to be very merry at all. We are aware that in many homes, there will be victims of domestic violence, we know that human trafficking does not stop for Christmas, and we know that our world has never been more unequal or unfair.

So the way that we spend our holidays, no matter who we compare ourselves with today, will be an inordinate amount freer, more secure, and, I have…