Gifts

The Christmas season is upon, so here is a look back at some gifts that I got as a child.

Don't you dare laugh at my disco ball decked out record player!  My friends and I played everything from disco to Styx on that thing.  Probably the best gift I ever got for Christmas!

Me and Grandad Griffin in Newfoudland

When I was 7 years old we flew from San Diego up to Newfoundland for Christmas.  I probably got a lot of things that year from all the relatives, but what I remember is the Karen Magnussen doll.  Karen was the Olympic silver medalist in 1972 from Canada.  I got her from my Great Grandfather and dragged her on those ice skates on every patch of ice I could find while we were visiting.

Me and my seal pup, age 5

I don't remember if the seal was a Christmas gift or not, but it made an impression as well.  Of course I didn't know anything about the realities of how that stuffed baby seal got into my arms, I only thought it was cute and was delighted my Grandad thought of me. Originally seals were killed for their oil for lamps and machine lubricant, but eventually they were being killed for their fur, and they only have that lovely white fur for their first few weeks of life.  Between 1950 and 1982 an average of a quarter million harp seal were killed EACH YEAR in Canada.  American and European outcry over the slaughtering cincluding a British boycott on seafood products curtailed the practice for awhile.  New markets were found in the 1990's and the numbers rose again though recently bans in Asia have resulted in numbers dropping to only 67,000 a year again.  Go to this link for images and more details...if you have the stomach for it.

So I guess my gift to you this holiday season is the gift of knowledge and the hope that like me you will read the article at the link above and sign the petition and give the gift of life to the seals of Canada.