CBC Maritimes

What's December like if your traditions don't encompass nativity scenes, Santa, shepherds and elves ?

We don't all march to the same Little Drummer Boy at this time of year.
While the majority of Maritimers are culturally connected to everything from choral concerts and lighted houses to church services and Midnight Madness at the Mall, the Christmas season brings on mixed feelings for many people.

At its core, Christmas is, of course, a Christian celebration of Jesus' birth. Somewhere along the way, it got conflated with the most significant retail period in the economic cycle and TV reruns of The Santa Clause, parts 1, 2 and 3. But what if none of this is related to your traditions, cultural values or religion ? Recently, we headed to a nearby coffee shop for a conversation with four people who experience the season differently.
Dr. Jamal Badawi is a Professor Emeritus at St. Mary's University and has served as volunteer Imam in Halifax's Muslim community since 1970. Noel McLellan is part of the Shambhala Buddhist Community. Derek Rodgers is with the Dalhousie Atheist Community, and Simin Fahandej, a Dalhousie Student, practices the Baha'i faith.

We're making a list and checking it twice : We want to make sure that you can tune in or join us in person at the Radio Room on South Park Street at CBC Halifax on Friday, December 18th for the Annual Food Bank Show - an hour of music (Don Ross and Brooke Miller), story-telling (Stan Carew and Carmen Klassen), and a much anticipated performance by the Maritime Noon Irregular Phone-In Chorale ! Bring along a contribution for Feed Nova Scotia and join us for tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, and other holiday goodies.

If anyone brings another plate of butter-drenched shortbread cookies, rum-soaked fruitcake or sugary pecan squares into the office, will you explode ? We feel your pain. The trick is to enjoy the best of the culinary treats the season has to offer without sending your cholesterol level into the stratosphere.

Mary Sue Waisman is a dietician, chef and cookbook author, and she has answers to your questions about diet and suggestions about making healthy choices in a season of excess. Mary Sue is the author of  "Flavour First : Delicious Food To Bring Your Family Back To The Table"