By Alexander the Great Magician
December 25, 23:30
Toronto, Ontario
This note will have nothing to do with the magic that I perform, but about the magic around us every day if we are looking hard enough, with pure enough intentions.
I am out of town for another few days because I am spending christmas with my family. I have been so fortunate and lucky over these holidays. I have been spending the holidays with some of the greatest influences in my life and I hope that all of you have been able to be with the most positive forces in your lives. Warm conversations, warm food and a (slightly) warm house (my parents).
For me, Christmas has been an evolving tradition over the years. With half of my family across the ocean it has always been centred around the wonderful relationship that I have with my parents and that we all have together. This is one part of my life that I am very proud of.
Being proud of my family extends to my own self-confidence and pride; I am a Massaad. And with that comes all the sensitivity towards people that my father taught me and all the life skills and love that my mother passed down as well.
I am especially proud of one Massaad initiative, and this one should be a global philosophy. Over my high school years, with all my experience travelling in the third world, I became very sensitive to consumer waste and greed. This sensitivity turned into disgust, followed by anger. I prompted my parents to put a modest limit on holiday spending. None of these big ticket items for Christmas, thats not what Christmas is about! Talk about a distasteful twist of tradition.
Small items, gifts from the heart, and being with those who care for me and vice versa (the "Golden Rule" has gotten me everything positive I could have ever dreamed of!!! :) As I became more mature and more experienced with relationships via my friends and peers, I really became aware of how special this tradition is.
Merry Christmas and don't buy too much; it probably isn't needed. All I could hope for is sitting at my dinner table talking the night away. On that note, I'm going to run back down and enjoy the conversation.
Love from Alex Massaad, signing off for 2009.