Dear Readers,

We have survived another Halloween, but it was a close call! I was never a fan of this weird event with neighbours decorating their houses with scary skeletons and turning their front yards into graveyards. It used to be an innocent tradition with kids knocking on doors, saying “trick or treat”, and collecting some candy, but it has turned into a rambunctious thing with helicopter parents coaching their greedy offspring. When I grew up in Germany, we celebrated St. Martin’s Day on November 11 with a procession of children with self-made lanterns and caroling, and we also received treats. And on December 6 was Saint Nicholas Day which meant that children had to polish their shoes and leave them in the foyer on Saint Nicholas Eve in hope that Saint Nicholas will fill them with treats, but children who had behaved badly usually found a twig or a piece of coal in their shoes. I have fond memories of these childhood events, and I find it sad that these beautiful traditions have been so commercialized, just like Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas. I think it is time to teach children to be less materialistic and that it is more blessed to give than to receive. It doesn’t matter how many treats you collected but how many of them you shared.
‍
Arnim Joop 
Publisher & Editor
mwmosaic@telus.net