41st Christmas Celebration: For the Love of Food – Dr. Don Buckingham and Mrs. Julia Sáez
December 3, 2024
Christmas Dinner: “For the Love of Food: Pondering Christmas, Abundance and Scarcity” with Dr. Don Buckingham and Mrs. Julia Sáez with Special Music by Joseph, Peter and Jad Haddad
Diplomats, parliamentarians, business leaders and their guests are invited to begin celebrating the Christmas season by enjoying a festive meal, live seasonal music, with inspirational keynote speakers Dr. Don Buckingham and Mrs. Julia Sáez.
We find life and meaning in what, when, where and how we eat. And we love eating – it literally makes us who we are. But in many homes across Canada and in communities around the world, finding enough food to eat, let alone at a desired frequency and with loved ones, will be a challenge this Christmas.
Join father/daughter duo, Don and Julia, for a journey into their worlds of food, agriculture, human rights and international development that stretch from Canadian wheat fields to sorghum plots of Rwanda and rice paddies of Cambodia, stopping along the way in halls of power in Ottawa, Nairobi, Geneva and New York.
At each of these stops (and many others along the way), food experiences have driven their personal and professional reflections in seeking answers to the questions:
- “Why is there food insecurity in our world of abundance?”
- “What steps can we take to eradicate it?”
Deep down, they are convinced that part of the answer comes from Christ’s teaching to care for our neighbour—every day and especially now as we approach the remembrance of His birth at Christmas.
41st Christmas Celebration – Full Program
“For the Love of Food” Keynote Presentation by Dr. Don Buckingham and Mrs. Julia Sáez
Additional resources made available by Dr. Buckingham and Mrs. Sáez
Christmas Reflection – Darren Young
A Time For Everything Sad To Begin To Become Untrue
O Holy Night (English, French and Arabic) – Joseph, Peter and Jad Haddad
It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born
O night, O Holy night, O night divine!
Minuit ! Chrétiens, c’est l’heure solennelle
Où l’homme Dieu descendit jusqu’à nous,
Pour effacer la tache originelle
Et de son père arrêter le courroux:
Le monde entier tressaille d’espérance
A cette nuit qui lui donne un sauveur
Peuple à genoux, attends ta délivrance
Noël ! Noël ! Voici le Rédempteur !
Noël ! Noël ! Voici le Rédempteur !
بل زينت وجهها بالنجوم
في فرحة بمولد المسيح
إذ جاءك ينتهي عهد الظلام
قد أنشد جند السماء نشيدًا
المجد للأب العلي الرحيم
هيا اسجدوا و أصغوا للترنيم
يا ليلة مولد ربي يسوع
يا ليلة, ليلة مقدسة
Truly He taught us to love one another.
His law is love and His Gospel is Peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother
And in His name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us Praise His Holy name
Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!
His power and glory evermore proclaim
His power and glory evermore proclaim
Hark The Herald Angels Sing – Joseph, Peter and Jad Haddad
Dr. Don Buckingham
Inductee, Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame
Don Buckingham is a life-long learner, professor, gardener, chef and expert on food and agriculture law. His farming roots are deep, having been raised on a beef and crop farm in northwestern Saskatchewan, and he still owns two cows. His professional pursuits have led to undergraduate degrees in arts and in law (Saskatchewan), a certificate in Culinary Skills (Algonquin) and graduate degrees in International Development Studies (Liège), International Agriculture Trade (Cambridge) and Food Labelling Law (Ottawa and Montpellier). For his pioneering work synthesizing, applying and teaching Canadian agricultural law, he was inducted in the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2021. He currently lives with his wife Janet in Switzerland, where many new food adventures abound. Read more
Mrs. Julia Sáez
Senior Policy Advisor, Canadian Foodgrains Bank
Julia Sáez (née Buckingham) is Senior Policy Advisor on Agriculture and Food Systems at Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems from the American University of Rome and prior to her current role, advanced sustainability initiatives in Canada’s agriculture sector with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Dairy Farmers of Canada. Besides English, Julia also speaks French, Spanish and Italian and lives in Ottawa with her Venezuelan husband, with whom she loves to cook and eat.
Special Music by Joseph, Peter and Jad Haddad
The Haddad family is deeply rooted in their Lebanese heritage and united by a shared love of music. They grew up performing together, playing music for their church, family gatherings and community events throughout the year, especially during holidays like Christmas and Easter. Their musical bond continues to be a source of joy and connection in their lives.
The opinions expressed by the speakers and commentators at our events and posted on our website are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Christian Embassy.