THUNDER BAY – LIVING – Everyone loves summer. The heat, the ability to be outside in shorts and a t-shirt, children playing, the foliage in full bloom. There is a lot to enjoy about that time of the year. For me, fall is my favourite season. Warm days, cool nights, trees changing colour, and the lack of insects. I love the lack of insects. But in terms of a specific time of year, there is only one answer for me: the season of Christmas.
People in my orbit know full well, that my Christmas shopping usually starts in March, to get ahead of the need to power shop that some in my family have made an artform. In past years, I used to love having my shopping completed and then simply walking through the malls. I would run into people I don’t normally see, catching up on their lives and spending a few human minutes reconnecting without phones getting in the way.
It is not about the giving of gifts, although I do enjoy that. It is the “feeling” that most often accompanies this season. The hope of better days ahead, the warmth of people that seem, for a short time, to be front and centre as opposed to the indifference that some can exude. Human interaction, with feeling, is a wonderful by-product of the season and one that unfortunately does not last long enough.
I know I am not alone in this. Many view this time of year in the same way, where the excitement of children, the joy of Santa Claus on the horizon is almost infectious. I can feel the excitement children have, and it brings me incredible joy to see a child’s face light up at the prospect.
Years ago, a couple of work buddies and I began giving out presents from our union to those children in hospital during the holiday season. That first year, I was Santa Claus, and I recall like yesterday, over thirty years ago, that little boy who I was holding in my arms, whose skin had a yellow tinge due to liver complications. He was an adorable child, but it made me realize how fortunate I was that my own children were not facing these kinds of health challenges. We put a smile on a few kids in what was then three hospitals, and I do miss those days. Every Christmas season, I try to find a new reason to be thankful for all that I have.
Like me, my grandson Carter has this love of Christmas. Carter is the gift that we did not think was possible. He was a wonderful life changing surprise four years ago. Going two days without seeing “my little man”, is far too long. I know countless grandparents who feel the same way.
Last year Carter and I would routinely stop at Home Depot to see the Christmas display. I would pretend not to know where the display was, with Carter guiding me to the right location and showing me, Santa Claus. It is this little man who has lit up my life, that this article is about.
I will not pretend to be an expert on what autism is, how it impacts those with it, and how many families cope with those they love who have this affliction. I have been shocked over the past few months to find out how many people I know have been touched by this. Carter has it, but my daughter-in-law, to her continued credit, spotted the signs when Carter was very young. She knew something was just not right in his development and began researching and reaching out to specialists as soon as possible to get Carter the assistance he might need.
That assistance has made a tremendous difference in Carter and has allowed him to navigate issues that many children like him face every day. Autism programming, provided by people that in many respects are angels, give a great deal of comfort to the parents and families of these children. Some programs are provided as a direct result of government funding, but many are also provided by fundraising efforts by various organizations throughout the country including here in Thunder Bay.
Returning to Christmas, I have always had a fascination about Santa Claus and the many questions that surround his ability. Who is he, where did he come from, how exactly does he deliver so many presents in one night? It was that curiosity and Carter’s arrival that led me to finally sit down and write a Children’s Christmas story.
Writing the book itself was the easy part, but compiling the photos into the story, editing it so that it flowed properly and meeting the technical demands to get it published were a hill I could not navigate on my own. I have a cousin, who wishes to shy away from being acknowledged but without their help, this book would not have been possible. They know who they are and a thank you does not do them justice.
The book itself is set to hit the market by the time you read this story. So, if we do make money with this endeavour, how will I spend it? That was easy because there are organizations in this city dedicated to helping children with autism. Providing funds to assist children who need help to live their lives to the fullest sounds like a good place to send some funds from a children’s Christmas story.
Carter has benefited from programming funded by the George Jeffrey Children’s Center. I am not sure how many people are aware of this, but Bob and Tom Speer, Tom Jackson, and Danny and Charmaine Thompson from George’s Market, did enormous work to get this facility off the ground, and it continues to be a valuable resource for countless children with disabilities. The program this facility funded for Carter was a wonderful step in his development and we are grateful for all that they did.
The staff at George Jeffrey are supporting this effort and will be a primary recipient of these book sales. It is my hope that other organizations that work with autistic children within the city will follow the same path and be able to raise money for themselves as well. There are many in our city working hard to ensure that children with autism have the life they deserve. Hopefully, sales from this book will assist them to a small degree in continuing that work.
I will be selling the book at various locations around the city: Thunder Bay Country Market at the CLE, every Wednesday and Saturday starting November 1st, for 8 weeks, including a reading every Saturday to the children that are there. A signing at Indigo on October 26th, from 11am to 3 pm.
The book will be available at Indigo for the Christmas season, and I will be selling them at the Red River Road Holiday Craft Revival on November 23rd.
The book will also be available on Amazon.ca starting October 17th and at the George Jeffrey Children’s Centre. With luck, other locations will also sell the book, and I am still contacting other Christmas markets to reach as many people as possible. Unfortunately, some of these markets are already full of participants but we will keep looking for places to attend. If anyone has any suggestions feel free to reach out to me at the email below.
We are also attempting to catch the one in a million shot on Amazon by building a base of support, to buy the book and leave a review, all in the hope of it catching fire. I have reached out to both the Canadian and US Autism societies to see if they can assist, with my offer of providing funds to both organizations while still supporting our local agencies.
We are also hoping to have some success with contacts to local athletes or celebrities from our city. Many have a large social media presence. It only takes the right “one person” to push this from a cute book to a significant fundraiser in support of autism. I hope, somehow, we catch “lightning in a bottle.” We want to help as many children as we can. Again, if anyone has a direct contact to someone like that, that would be willing to share this book on their social profiles, that would be wonderful.
This project began as something for Carter to have when he is an adult, long after I am gone. Something that will remind him every day of just how much he was loved by his entire family. Every child deserves that I think.
At the end of the day, we may sell a few books, or it may be moderately successful. No matter what, I have enjoyed the journey and hope to continue his story in subsequent years as he moves throughout his life. How long that continues is beyond my control, but it won’t be long until the next story appears on my computer screen. The continuing story about Santa and those special children just like Carter that are all around us, each with a special bond with Santa Claus.
So far, the reviews have been positive. Time will tell but if there is a chance that one child benefits from this story beyond Carter, then that will be enough of a Christmas present for me. Bringing happiness to a child? I cannot think of anything better to do at Christmas time. What child does not deserve that? Just a thought!
A special thank you to James Murray for allowing me to write this article to promote my book and supporting autism programming in our city. And to Ron Marostica at Marostica Subaru for his support.
Feel free to contact me at maurojustathought@gmail.com if you have any suggestions as to how to promote this fundraiser. I would appreciate any ideas that people may have.
