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In Montreal, December brings a northern winter filled with ice and snow outside the windows. Yet, inside the classrooms of Tzu Chi Academy of Montreal, a spring-like warmth filled the air.
To welcome the festive Christmas season and express gratitude for the successful completion of this semester’s studies, Tzu Chi Academy, Montreal held a “Christmas Year-End Gratitude Event” on December 13th. This day was not only a presentation of the children’s achievements but also a humanistic lesson on “Winter Supplies Packing,” gathering the love of parents, teachers, and students. Fifteen parents and children participated enthusiastically, jointly composing a heartwarming year-end chapter.
Compassion and Giving Inspire Kindness; Excellence is Achieved by being Mindful
The event commenced in a solemn yet warm atmosphere. Principal Yi-Ling Lu first took the stage to speak, expressing sincere gratitude to the parents and children present in both Chinese and English. She mentioned that the common motto for all Tzu Chi schools is “Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity,” and the goal of education is not only to impart knowledge of the Chinese language but, more importantly, to inspire children’s innate kindness from a young age.
“We hope that children can learn to transform intangible love into tangible action,” Principal Lu gently stated, encouraging everyone to cherish the upcoming opportunity to pack relief supplies and to experience the joy of helping others through actual giving.
Regarding the day’s highlight—the “Jing Si Aphorism Drawing Contest” award ceremony—Principal Lu specifically quoted Master Cheng Yen’s Jing Si Aphorism, “Excellence is achieved by being mindful,” to encourage the children.
She expressed: “In the learning process, scores may vary, but learning attitude is the most important. As long as one can focus on the present and wholeheartedly invest in every stroke and every task, this ‘mindfulness’ is the best attitude and the most professional performance.” Her words set a warm and firm humanistic tone for the entire event.
Jing Si Artwork Reveals Wisdom; Valuing Traits Over Rankings
The award ceremony that followed perfectly echoed the spirit of the principal’s speech. This competition broke the traditional framework of competitive rankings, turning instead to discover the unique and precious highlights in each child’s work.
There are nine students in the class, but two children were absent due to illness on the day. The seven students present took to the stage in sequence, where the principal personally presented five major categories of awards, including the “Theme Expression Award,” “Color Application Award,” and “Mindful Creation Award.”
The children transformed the wisdom of Jing Si Aphorisms learned in class into vibrant colors through their innocent yet sincere brushstrokes. Each certificate was an affirmation of the child’s unique qualities. Continuous applause filled the room as parents raised their cameras to capture their children’s confident and glorious moments.
Christmas Carols Overflow with Energy; Parent-Child Crafting Shows Perfect Teamwork
Subsequently, the children presented a festive singing performance of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” With lively melodies accompanied by cute body movements, the children’s innocent smiles infected every audience member, bringing the event to a joyful climax.
After the merriment, the event transitioned into deeper humanistic practice. To allow the children to truly experience the school motto of “Loving-kindness, Compassion, Joy, and Equanimity,” special sessions for “Parent-Child Christmas Card Creation” and “Winter Supplies Packing” were arranged.
The table was filled with winter supplies thoughtfully prepared by the Tzu Chi Foundation, including thick wool socks, warm beanies, gloves, eco-friendly scarves, and ten-dollar Tim Hortons gift cards. These gifts, full of warmth and love, were scheduled to be delivered to the Verdun community on December 20th to care for local homeless individuals.
During the card creation process, parent-child interaction became the most touching scene. Everyone demonstrated great teamwork and divided tasks: some parents carefully cut while children were responsible for gluing and collaging facial features; others had children focused on cutting while parents helped align the pieces.
Working together, scattered pieces of paper gradually came together to form the kindly smiling face of Santa Claus. Finally, the children drew colorful patterns and wrote blessings inside the cards. This was not just a card, but a warm gift infused with love and care by parents and children together.
Mystery Guest Makes Surprise Appearance; Sounds of Gratitude Spread Love
Just as everyone was absorbed in the heartwarming moment of creation, a figure carrying a heavy cloth sack suddenly appeared in the classroom—the mystery guest the children had been waiting for, “Santa Claus,” made a surprise appearance! A cheer immediately erupted in the room.
Santa Claus slowly approached the children, taking carefully prepared gifts from his bag and presenting them one by one. As the children received their gifts, their faces overflowed with unconcealable joy and excitement.
Amidst the laughter, everyone also displayed Montreal’s multicultural characteristics, thanking Santa in unison in Chinese, English, and French: “謝謝 (Xiexie)! Thank you! Merci!” The tender yet sincere sounds of gratitude echoed in every corner of the classroom.
After sharing the joy of receiving, the children then learned to pass this love forward. Accompanied and guided by their parents, the children folded the various warm items neatly and placed the cards they had just made—full of blessings—at the very top of the gift bags, hoping that the homeless recipients would feel the warm intentions from the Tzu Chi Academy at first glance upon opening the bag.
In addition, bookmarks printed with Master Cheng Yen’s Jing Si Aphorisms in Chinese, English, and French were thoughtfully placed in the gift bags, hoping to not only warm bodies in the cold winter but also comfort hearts with wise words.
Crossing Borders and Snow; Volunteers’ Enthusiasm Supports the Cause
A successful event would not be possible without the silent dedication of a volunteer team. Eleven Tzu Chi volunteers attended to assist with guidance, decoration, and the flow of the event.
Among them was a touching interlude of crossing national borders—a Tzu Ching (Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth) member from Vermont, USA. Undeterred by the snowy road conditions and a one-and-a-half-hour drive, she insisted on bringing a friend across the US-Canada border to Montreal to support the event.
This enthusiasm to travel from afar demonstrated the younger generation’s sense of responsibility and action, once again proving that “Great Love has no borders” and adding a moving touch of warmth to the cold winter day.
At the end of the event, all teachers, students, parents, and volunteers held their packed gift bags filled with love for a group photo. Although the event lasted only a short hour, through the personal act of giving and the example set by the volunteers, the good intention of “hands facing downwards” (the act of giving) quietly took root in the children’s hearts like plump seeds.
Montreal’s winter may be cold, but because of love, everyone’s hearts are warm.