In the Spirit of the Holidays

I have never been a holiday guy.

The reality of my holiday experiences have most often consisted of bickering, disappointment, unfulfilled expectations, commercialism, and strange rituals that have more to do with long gone pagan religions than what we are told to associate with them. See the Gaffigan video below to see how I REALLY feel.

I like the THEORY of the holidays – the nostalgia, the family emphasis, catching up with your friends, yummy food and who doesn’t love getting and giving presents? Heck, I even like the first few days of hearing those familiar jingles on the radio and in the stores.

Giving and caring are not acts that are limited to this time of year – we decided to commit ourselves (my company and my family) to becoming more involved with the things that are important to us.

We already have a couple of charities that we have a personal attachment to and make our contributions to those chosen entities, but we also have an unbridled love for animals.

Katie (my wife and business partner) and I have become involved with a wonderful organization called Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre in Fort Langley, BC. We discovered it purely by accident and the fact that it is less than 15 minutes from our home is amazing.

From their website:

“Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre is a leading non-profit Canadian facility that breeds endangered species in family groups for re-introduction back into their natural habitat in Canada and around the world.

Today, we host over 50 species of the world's most rare and endangered wildlife. Our commitment is to operate world-class breeding and re-introduction programs. We work with wildlife and zoo conservation organizations and governments locally and around the world.”

Our conversations with Gordon, the founder and their Carnivore Manager, Renee was fascinating; I won’t try to explain all that they do here, but encourage you to visit there website to learn more: http://www.mtnviewconservation.org/

As a company, High Concept is committed to aiding in their marketing and media efforts and personally we are volunteering our time to help at their facility.

I do not chronicle this to brag or impress, but rather to emphasize that there is little that is glorious about many of the tasks that need to be done around a facility like this (have you ever tried shovelling up after a rhino?); but it feels right to do some good in your life for creatures that can’t ask for help.

So, as the new year approaches and you are looking to make these rich holiday feelings last, I encourage you to dip into your passions and find the thing that you can do to make your world a better place. You will be fulfilled, you will meet like-minded friends and the feelings will last all year long.