Christmas, family, and being a good neighbour

Merry Christmas everyone, have a great holiday.   I hope everyone is safe, warm, and happy.  The holiday season can be a stressful and depressing time.  There are many people suffering financially right now and the near-mandatory consumer aspect of Christmas can be quite a burden.

I should have posted something a little sooner but to all you parents out there who can't afford to buy your kids the latest and greatest toys, don't worry, they'll be OK.  Don't feel guilty, be honest with your kids - even if they don't understand now, they will (hopefully) someday.  I did.  I'm sure you are all doing the best you can.  And don't be afraid to accept help if you need it, it doesn't make you less of a person.

My parents grew up somewhere between dirt poor and not too bad, depending on the seasons and such.  Mom was the second of 4 kids and lived in a small town in BC, my grandfather operated a small sawmill and did other work.  Dad grew up on a farm in southern Alberta, he was the second of 6 kids.  They both learned what doing without really meant.

My parents were poor when they met and stayed poor for some time but were able to provide us with food, shelter, and everything I needed - I never wanted for anything of physical importance and things improved for us a lot financially by the time I was old enough to remember much.  After my Dad graduated university, things got better for them but they never were focused on spending a lot of money, they were focused on paying off their debt - student loans, house, etc.

When I was 6, Dad got transferred (the old move or you're fired deal) and we bought a new house under a grant program that was going on in Saskatchewan.  It was  very nice house, very big* and in a nice neighbourhood.  I was lucky.  However, to afford that house, certain things had to be "sacrificed" - we made do with less, we bought used, and we accepted (and gave) help as needed.  My clothes were hand me downs or from the discount bin at Zeller's.  Starting around age 8, I began to separate from my peers in three ways:

1. Religion - I grew up in the Mormon religion which was not well regarded where we lived.  I have a very clear, and sad memory of my best friend (Catholic) telling me I was going to hell for being a devil worshiper.  Yep, the old days, before Catholics and Mormons found common cause.   Christmas is a good time to teach your children about tolerance and a great time to discuss beliefs, history, and culture.
2. Appearance - As mentioned, my clothes were either of low quality, handmade, or dated/used.  We shopped at thrift stores and I got a lot of hand me downs from other church families.  If you didn't have the right shoes back then, you were of low social status.  I doubt that has changed.  I also was small for my age and my mom cut my hair...
3. Grades - Scholastically, I was years beyond my peers, especially in reading and mathematics.  Doing well in school is not a recipe for being popular.

Why do I bring this up?  Because it meant I spent more time with my parents than most of the kids my age and that was a lot more fun than expensive shoes or whatever.  Your kids may cry if they don't get an ipad or something but that will be in the garbage sooner or later, it's not worth it.  Focus on what you can give, even if it's just a hug and an I love you.

My four favourite Christmas gifts as a child:

1. A set of blocks my Dad made for me.  I would spend hours and hours with them, even when I was "too old" for them.
2. A pair of wooden swords my dad made for me - that was good for countless house of whacking people  :)  
3. A swiss army knife from my maternal grandfather.  I got that when I was 8? or so, I had a lockback knife before that.  Good for a lot of fun projects though you might get arrested these days *sigh*  I brought mine to show and tell at school, good luck with that one.
4. A bag of marbles.  I could spend all day shooting with my friends!

Something that can engage your child's imagination doesn't have to be expensive - I know, easy for me to say that, I used to get a pretty expensive Christmas list from our kids too....

Really though, the best gift that you can give is your time - as much as you can.  For example, some of my fondest memories of my Dad are going to work with him.  With my mom, I still remember her reading to me, it was very precious.  Those are the memories that can last a lifetime and can really hold a family together when the children get older and become evil teenage monsters  (jk, sort of).

Being a good neighbour:

The holiday season is a good time to reach out a little to the people around you and try to build some bonds.

Say hello to your neighbours, bring them over a plate of food, offer to shovel their walk - sometimes people can be hard to approach and saying "Hey, it's Christmas, so we..." can be a good ice breaker.

Think of any older neighbours in the area.  They may not have family close by and could use some assistance.  Check that their utilities are still turned on (sometimes crazy stuff happens over the holidays) and that they have enough to eat.  If you can, try to invite them over for dinner, you might end up with some free babysitting and some good company  :)  One of the best things about the Mormon church was the time we spent in service activities.  I got to spend a lot of time with people of all ages and backgrounds, do a lot of useful volunteer work, and spend time with my family.

It's also a good time to reach out to estranged friends and family, again using the season as a reason can make things easier.

Community bonds are valuable from a survival standpoint, a safety standpoint, but also for health and happiness.  The Winter Solstice/Christmas/whatever period should be about happiness and family - whether that's the kind we have or the kind we want to create.


*It's funny what people consider a big house now.  Our house was 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (1 full, 2 half) and had a full basement with a good-sized yard that was all garden in the back.  I would guess it could have been as much as 1500 sq ft, which really is enormous for 4 people.  And then I look at some of the houses people buy now...wow.  I really don't understand the love for McMansions.

EDC without pants

This isn't actually about not wearing pants (sorry! hehe)  but it is about no-pants-needed carry.  I was somewhat aware of how jeans-dependent (or other pants with belt loops and strong pockets) my EDC was and have already moved away from a lot of belt carry items but even more change is going to be needed - my 24/7 system needs to be belt and pants pocket free!

I live in one of the coldest, most isolated areas in North America.  There are severe summer/winter temperature variations, from -40C or colder in winter to 25C or warmer in summer.  Snow is on the ground from the end of September to April/May (sometimes June!) and there are extensive periods of 24-hour darkness and 24-hour light.

I am moving to one of the rainiest areas in North America, on the coast, that has little to no snow and maintains a relatively constant year round temperature of 5-15C.  I am going to start a new series of posts on what effects that has on my EDC, traveling to work, outdoor gear, clothing, the whole deal.

I'm going to start with EDC.

I'm still living north of 68 and trust me, it's winter up here.  We just had a little warm spell but temperatures have generally been in the -25C to -35C (-13 to -31F)  range, not counting any windchill.  This obviously has some effects on what I wear and what I carry.

My current EDC*:

• HAK straight - neck carry
• Inova Microlight (bright/dim/strobe) - neck carry
• No-name microlight (on/off with squeeze or switch) - paracord carry, looped around my belt loop and tucked inside my jeans
• Blackhawk Be-Wharned folding knife (still waiting for the Yojimbo 2) - pocket clip carry
• Casio G-shock watch on a wrap around thick velcro band (covers watch face)

Usual indoor clothing at work:

• 5.11 TDU belt
• Jeans
• T-shirt (prefer under armour or similar shirt) 
• Hoody 
• Sandals - it's too hot in here to wear anything else

Outdoor clothing for travel to/from work via vehicle:

• Parka - I wear a Canada Goose parka, it's a discontinued model and I don't recall the name.  They make top-quality, extreme cold weather parkas.  I see a lot of people wearing the Resolute and similar models but they are really too heavy for practical use, I prefer layers
• Snow pants - I just wear lightweight snowboard pants
• Boots - The Sorel Intrepid Explorer are AWESOME, the best winter boots I have ever owned
• Neck gaiter
• Toque - I like the Parkhurst Merino Wool Cap that MEC sells 
• Gloves 

My current Work EDC (WDC) pack and contents:

• Eberlestock Gunslinger II Pack - I bought it from Linton outdoors, super comfortable, top quality
• Amazon kindle (now THAT is essential)
• Mora knife - either the 511 or the triflex on a neck cord with a survival bundle (light, fire, etc)
• Folding saw
• Bottled water - 500mL
• Metal water bottle, I like the Klean Kanteen 27 oz.  I use a metal water bottle rather than a nalgene so I can melt snow.  Their wider mouth bottle is better for snow (and in my camping pack) but I prefer the other to drink from.
• Cell phone
• All the typical stuff - first aid kit, sunglasses, matches, snack, yada yada yada 

I travel to and from work in a company truck.  At our new location, I will be walking to work, about 4km (about 2.5 miles).  I will get a bicycle and will probably use it for work to save travel time but, with the extreme winds, rain, and all the hills, I'm not sure how much time I will save  :)   I don't like biking all that much either but it's a great way to carry heavier loads.  I don't think I will be using it much in the winter there, it gets very slippery and with the hills and such, I really don't want to take a spill.

So, this new climate coupled with traveling on foot vs. truck made me take another look at what I tote around with me.  The important factors: waterproof and weight. Everything must be evaluated based on keeping me and my gear dry.  And it has to be water proof not "water resistant" which is just another way to say "slow leak."  It rains there almost every day and it's RAIN not a little shower here and there.  As for weight, once you have to carry your pack further than a parking lot, you see just how much an ounce matters.

I have waterproof pants, boots, and a jacket with hood (more on specific clothing on another post).  However, the rain pants don't have pockets or belt loops and I haven't had much luck in finding anything suitable that does.  This immediately eliminates easy waist or knife carry on my outer pants (I'll be wearing another set underneath).  I'm also going to be wearing a backpack with a waist strap, which would eliminate any significant belt carry anyway, it's just not comfortable.  I'd be looking at a sheath hanging off the backpack, not really workable for cruising around town.  A boot knife is possible, but not super easy to access and I've never actually worn one before.  Not sure if I want to try at this point, something to consider.  My HAK again saves the day, carried around the neck, it's just a continuation of what I am already doing.  The one problem is the downside of a HAK - gloves.  You can not use one with gloves on, and I will probably be wearing some at times.  A more regularly handled knife is now needed - something lightweight, small, and practical (multi-use).  The Perrin neck bowie would work well with gloves and it is lightweight and such but I don't think I am going to go back to it.  It's an excellent small utility blade but looking at the area (heavily wooded, rainy as all get out) I want something with a little more "bush" capability.  I think I'm going to go with an Esee Izula or Izula II.  Possibly the Izula II for trail walks and the Izula for walks to work, I'll wear them over my shirt and the HAK will be under.  The Izula can be tucked back if needed and it's quite light.  The blade is very short but it does have some capabilities for wood splitting as well as prying, digging, and general abuse.

(Total aside - I've always been a little curious about the Tops FDX knives, I'd be curious to get my hands on one of the small hunter points.  There's very little info that I can find on most of the tops knives.  Or at least the ones that I would be interested in.)

It's actually a similar situation to when I go hiking/camping in the winter and am wearing snow pants, you just can't belt carry a knife and walking long distances with a knife strapped to your thigh is not always practical - the backpack can rub on the belt and a knife that low can get caked with snow and ice.  A light fixed blade neck-carry knife is your best option with a larger knife attached to my backpack.  I usually carry a Mora 511 but for an urban environment, I want something a little more unobtrusive (thinner, lower profile).

What I love about a neck cord in the urban environment (under a jacket) is the same as the woods environment - the knife is so handy, always accessibly, and the cord is the perfect place to hook on keys, fire tools, whistle, light, etc with a carabiner - easy on, easy off, easy to customize.  Since I'll be wearing a rain jacket pretty much every day, the knife and the other tools I chose can be tucked in and accessibly by zipping the jacket open, pulling the lot out with a tug on the cord, or putting my hand down a more open zipper area.  Keeps from scaring people "OMG, he's got a knife, noooooooooooooooo!"  Bizarre reaction. Once I get to work, the main lot gets tucked into my pack and the HAK/light combo is still there, under my shirt - I won't be wearing gloves while I work  :)

I could still be wearing jeans under my rain pants and could still carry my pocket clip knife, possibly a fixed blade belt knife, etc.  But....walking in long distance with jeans isn't super comfortable.  Walking with them under another pair of pants can get downright uncomfortable.  Plus, the tools would only be accessible in my workplace** and I don't see any real need for them (in that location) when compared to the discomfort of wearing them and the other tools I have - I'll always have my HAK and at least one light and a whole host of gear is in my backpack which can be grabbed on my way out the door.  Wearing jeans under snow pants for my current trips to work isn't a big deal because I'm driving to work.  Some days, when it's -20 or warmer (especially in the day time), I just bring my extra pants and don't even bother wearing them.  Having that extra knife accessible has a lot more value here - there's no security here, we're open to the public, we're well out of town and can't secure the building, etc.  I see the value in the extra knife and I've worn one in my pocket for so long...well, there just hasn't been any reason to change that until now.

Hmmm, this post started to go a little sideways on me, hopefully this made some sense.

More on all this later - much more I'm sure!

*EDC - Every Day Carry.  Some people have slightly different ideas for what this means.  I'm considering this to be items I carry on my person at all times outside the home.  I differentiate this from items I would carry heading to work for example, as I would carry a bag of some kind that I may not carry for a trip to the grocery store.

**I'm not digging through my backpack waist strap and fishing around inside my outer pants to get them