Christmas has come and gone, but its spirit remains when we bring out the best in ourselves all through the new year.
Don and I were thankful to have our three adult children and our son-in-law all home this year. We spent Christmas Eve day playing games. We opened one gift early – a new game, called Cranium that became a real hit. Cranium is a team game, and brought out the best in all of us.
It called for us to sketch, sculpt with clay, draw with our eyes closed, unscramble words, spell backwards, whistle tunes, impersonate celebrities, and act out clues. Activities stimulated our grey matter by testing knowledge with multiple choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank questions. Cranium is great for teens and adults, and would be good for family gatherings, get-togethers with friends and dinner parties.
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Another favourite of mine was the book Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul that I received from our son, Matt. I was reading it on Christmas Day when I came across this poem that brought tears to my eyes.
I’m OK
The house is a mess, the dishes are dirty.
I’m too old for this stuff, I’m well over 30!
The car is not clean, my hair is a wreck,
And I’ve already spent next Friday’s paycheque.
The laundry needs washing, the kids are too rowdy,
And I never have time for a leisurely “Howdy.”
With all that I do, it’s never enough,
It’s never quite finished, it always looks rough.
I looked in my mirror, and what did I see?
A harried old stranger where I used to be.
The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.
Today is tomorrow, and I’m not caught up yet.
My kids are growing at such a fast pace,
That I’m missing their childhood for the sake of this race.
I work and I clean and I cook, and I say
“Hit the books, clean your room!” there’s no time for play.
Well, the Lord, for some reason, chose ME with the care
Of three of His children, but I’m rarely there!
I’ve GOT to slow down lest there’s nothing to show
For my role as their mom when they pack up and go!
I’m only one person, but look through my door,
What appears to be one, divides into more!
I’m a chauffeur, a cook, a planter of trees,
A teacher, an umpire, a mender of knees.
Sometimes, I forget that deep down inside,
There’s a lady with feelings, and last night, she cried.
She gets tired and lonely, feels taken for granted
She wants to see blooms from the seeds that she’s planted.
Then, amidst all the turmoil in this mind-bending pace,
My little ones look at me – square in the face …
And just when I need it, they all in one day
Say, “Momma, I love you” and then … I’m OK!
– Rabona Gordon
Gift returns
This year, all our gifts seemed to fit and were appropriate. No returns or exchanges were necessary. However, that may not be the case for everyone. Become an informed consumer before you complain.
- The sales transaction is a legal binding agreement and the item cannot be returned just because you have changed your mind.
- Whether a store will provide a refund or exchange depends on store policy. Find out before you make a purchase. It is good practice to get the store policy written on the bill.
- If the store does issue refunds or exchanges, check on the time limit.
- Save all receipts.
- If a purchase doesn’t work as advertised, promptly return it and ask for a refund or replacement.
- Contact the store as soon as possible, and keep a written record of your contacts.
- If you are still dissatisfied, contact the merchant and manufacturer in writing. Be persistent. If you are not satisfied, complain in writing to your nearest consumer affairs office.
- If you buy a gift your recipient might have to return, consider paying cash. If you pay by credit card, some stores will not refund cash to the recipient upon the item’s return.
- For on-line returns, some e-merchants charge a restocking fee on returned products. However, many chain retailers will allow returns or exchanges at one of their local stores, provided you have a receipt. Others might pay shipping costs for returned products.
- Websites that are useful are www.consumer.ca and http://consumerinformation.ca. The latter is a Canadian pilot project that helps consumers deal with complaints. You can even find a sample complaint letter. At the www.strategis.gc.ca website, there is a downloadable version of a Canadian consumer handbook offering tips, questions and advice.
- Federal office: Office of Consumer Affairs, Industry Canada, 9th floor, East Tower, 235 Queen St., Ottawa, Ont., K1A 0H5, 613-952-6927, consumer.ic.gc.ca.
Provincial contacts:
- Ministry of Attorney General, Community Justice Branch, Consumer Services Division, 5th Floor, 1019 Wharf Street, Victoria, B.C., V8V 1X4 or for written correspondence: Box 9297, Station Provincial Govt., Victoria, B.C., V8W 9J8, 250-387-3045, fax 250-953-3533, e-mail: consumer@ag.gov.bc.ca, www.pssg.
gov.bc.ca/consumers.
- Alberta Government Services, Consumer Services Branch, Floor 13, 10155-102 St., Edmonton, T5J 4L4, 780-427-4088 or toll-free in Alberta at 877-427-4088, fax 780-422-9106, www.gov.ab.ca/gs. In Calgary: Room 301, 7015 Macleod Trail South, Calgary, T2H 2K6, 403-297-5700, fax 403-297-6138.
- Consumer Protection Branch, Saskatchewan Department of Justice, 1871 Smith St., Regina, S4P 3V7, 306-787-5550 or toll-free in Saskatchewan 888-374-4636, fax 306-787-9779, e-mail: consumerprotection@justice.gov.sk.ca.
- Consumers Bureau, Manitoba Consumer and Corporate Offices, 302 – 258 Portage Ave., Winnipeg, R3C 0B6, 204-945-0728 or toll-free in Manitoba 800-782-0067, fax 204-945-0728, e-mail: consumersbureau@cca.gov.mb.ca, www.gov.mb.
ca/cca/consumb.
- To find the Better Business Bureau in your province, contact: Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus, Suite 350, 7330 Fisher Street S.E., Calgary, T2H 2H8, 403-531-8686, fax 403-531-8697, www.bbb.org.
Barbara Sanderson is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4.
