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What's in Your Stockings?
by GURMEET KAUR
In our household, we have known Santa Singh ever since my teenager was 5 years old.
My best friend who cared deeply for little Angad Singh was a bit upset that the latter was devoid of the Christmas spirit - read, presents! - and had to be left out of the "most wonderful time of the year".
I was adamant on not giving into the dominant culture of commercialism. She decided that she was going to take the matter in her own hands. And before I knew it, there were loads of presents for my little one under a proper Christmas tree at our home.
Needless to say, he was mesmerized by Santa. I felt defeated.
So the next year my friend and I reached a compromise. Santa Singh was invited to our home but on my terms. Since then, there has always been at least one meaningful Sikh present included in Angad's multitude of gifts.
His Sikh present has always been the focal theme of his presents. Santa Singh's personal message in Gurmukhi - his signature became the most sought after present for years to come. I must add that the hand-drawn Santa Singh looked quite like sikhchic.com's version!
Santa Singh visited us for a very long time. Little Angad kept sending him a mile long list year after year.
From my experience, I know that a large number of Sikhs in the diaspora will spend a lot on Christmas presents for their children this year. I do not condone or oppose the practice. I just want to share what has been a meaningful exercise for us in all these years. Every year I would make a list of cool Sikh things that had recently appeared on the horizon. I would give my list to Santa Singh along with my child's own list.
I wanted to make sure that Angad stayed connected with his roots with a meaningful gift. I also felt that I was doing my part in encouraging Sikh artists and supporting the production of Sikh artifacts.
My child is all grown up now. Sigh!
But here is my list of top three cool things for your children this season. I hope you will consider spending a portion of your holiday budget into giving your children a true Santa Singh flavor.
All of the following can still be ordered to be in time for this season.
1 Journey with the Gurus:
This book is a must-have for children ages 5 and above. I have given
this book for Guru Nanak Sahib's gurpurab to my nephews and niece and
they are hooked on to it. Now, they know more about Guru Nanak than me.
The other day, my six-year old nephew asked me to take him to Batala to
show him where Guru Nanak got married. This 172-page hard-cover book is
truly beautifully illustrated. It costs a mere $28.95, shipping included. www.journeywiththegurus.com
2 Bhai Taru Singh: The DVD: This is a collectible. Your children will watch it over and over and will be inspired. And if you don't yet own their Sundri and Sahibzadey DVD's yet, please order them too. They too are also a must have. With these Vismaad DVD's, you are set in providing worry free media for winter holidays. $10 each, shipping extra. www.sikhdvd.com
3 A
hoodie or T-shirt from Turban Inc. or Punjab Mall - There is nothing
wrong with our children showing off their Sikh and Punjabi heritage. My
teenager loves to match his T-shirts with his puggris. Punjab Mall carries a
load of other cool gifts, such as trivia games and books. Prices vary
from $20 to $45.
www.turbaninc.com
www.panjabmall.com
Please give Santa Singh a chance to be creative with his list. Happy Holidays!
December 17, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Gur Singh (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. ), December 17, 2010, 10:49 AM.
A Japji Sahib gutka with translation included, and a Punjabi qaida (primer), coupled with translations and time from parents, might add another two stars to the list!
2: Aryeh Leib (Israel), December 19, 2010, 4:22 AM.
All I can say is, I'm flabbergasted. It's one thing to wish one's friends of a different faith a happy holiday. It's something else again to bring that foreign influence into one's own home. The confusion this generally produces in the minds of one's children is something that may not be immediately apparent, but the damage to their identity is likely to be profound and have unwanted implications for future generations. Ask your Jewish acquaintances who raised their own children with a "Chanukah bush" in their homes how many of those children have a firm, committed Jewish identity today. And, you call this person who introduced "Santa Singh" to your home, "My best friend"?!