Glitter, tinsel, promises. Canned music and fake trees. And heartfelt gifts that reflect the intention of the giver. 

Kids receive piles of toys, most of which would not survive the first day. Parents feel obliged to throw more and more money into presents as a way to show their affection. 

I always felt the hand-drawn picture, the hand-crafted piece of jewelry, or the hand-picked sachet of lavender to freshen grandmother's linen is a much more honest indication of love and enduring affection. Maybe I am wrong. I have had presents I had worked on for weeks, with the comfort or happiness of the intended recipient in mind, rejected as not bearing a brand or not conforming to a popular fashion. 

We can project this to the international stage. In a recent exchange of opinions on social media, someone opined that there is a choice between three outcomes in the present Ukrainian war, all three compromises. I disagree. The choice, in my opinion, is simpler. On the one hand, is a worldview of rule by force. Of people who are bludgeoned into subservience and submission, and of international relations based on power and the whims of leaders who, like Kaiser Wilhelm in 1914, wish to have "a place in the sun." A Moscow wishing, demanding the respect of the west.

On the other hand, there is a growing consensus that all people are equal before the law, that international treaties should be respected and differences settled by negotiation. Nations should be based on the self-determination of peoples. That individuals should have the right to express their opinions and desires freely and without fear of repercussions.

I have been puzzled by the insult, the accusation implicit in the term 'woke'. A past participle of the term 'awake'? The desired opposite being 'asleep'? In political context, the first reference that comes to mind is the name of the 1860 youth group that supported the Presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln, supported human rights, and opposed slavery. The Wide Awakes. 

Then I stumbled over a reference to the Ukrainian word 'svidomi', meaning 'conscious' or 'aware', apparently often used in Russian media in an insulting context. The desired opposite would then be 'unconscious' or 'ignorant'? 

Exercising choice is not easy. Take time and read the account of Malcolm Nance on why he chose to risk his life to fight in Ukraine. 

Disregarding others, tyrannical policies are found everywhere. In my country where a sitting Minister disparages the judiciary and denounces constitutionalism as colonial. In South America where pseudo-aristocrats with American backing run roughshod over indigenous people's rights. In the Middle East and the American south where religious doctrine scaffolds power structures at the cost of individual freedoms and rights. 

The choice is yours. Leo Trotsky said, based on his own life (and death): 'Do not say you are not interested in War. War is interested in you.'

Give yourself and yours a gift this Christmas. Freedom