Simian Turner said:
My point was if we are riding on a declining budget trend, you have a decision to make between time/money to get boots dirty and napkins dirty, I think it should be an easy decision. If it takes an Area Comd to make this decision for unit COs then that makes a statement.
I can tell you, in my old unit, cancelling the Men's Dinner would have had a BAD effect on Morale. From the top down, maybe they think these dinners weren't big deals but...when I was around the PRes world, in my unit, it was a huge deal. Smart Unit COs would realize this, IMO, and NOT cancel the dinner that is supposed to show appreciation to the SOLDIERS of the unit for all they did that year.
Do parades raise morale more than getting boots dirty in the field? If the Men's Christmas Dinner is a parade like every other parade night in a Reserve Unit - what is attendance like?
I don't know many people who choose NOT to go to biggest part in The Regiment each year...you'd have been missing out on something, no question.
As for the tradition of the Men's Christmas Dinner...taken from the link below:
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/2PPCLI/RH-Honors_and_Traditions.asp
Traditions
The Military Christmas Dinner
Tis not the season to talk of Christmas as the snow has just departed and summer is at our door steps but then when a question arrises one must accept the challenge and find the answer.
Traditions come from somewhere and it takes a little reading and research to find out how one tradition started and where it came from. As for the tradition of the military Christmas dinner, its origins stem back to Roman times.
The custom of role reversal is a rather odd tradition for the military. The youngest member of the unit will switch tunics with the commanding officer for the day and in turn the officers and and senior NCOs will serve dinner to the enlisted members of the unit. The Roman customs of Saturnalia is where these activities originate. The festival of Saturnalia varied during the course of Roman times. It generally began as a feast for Saturn around December 17 and 18 and during the empire period it extended to a week.
The festival falls at the same time as other religions are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice and Kwanzaa. As with Christmas, garlands, wreaths and tree ornaments abound. The idea of the celebration was to promote merry making, rest and relaxation and to help the less fortunate. Food abounded and everyone shared.
During the celebrations of Saturnalia, children and slaves had the opportunity for a role reversal. They were entitled to be the parents/masters for a time. The parents and masters jokingly played the part of children and slaves. The biggest part of Saturnalia was the attitude and the children and slaves were allowed to make decisions and lead the rituals. It was all in fun and any decisions were reversed at the end of the day. Slaves weren't really free to make decisions and children weren't allowed to enter into contracts as the role reversal was only for minor privileges.
Before the introduction of mechanization of military units, enlisted personnel spent most of their time occupied by tedious tasks. In order to boost morale and overcome boredom, their officers took it upon themselves to arrange celebrations for the men. This included the organization and preparation of a Christmas dinner; the best Christmas dinner possible. Officers and senior NCOs not only prepared the meal but served it as well. Their task not complete until all was cleaned up.
As with Roman times, the Canadian Forces today practices a role reversal for minor privileges in a spirit of good cheer. During festive times, the Commanding officer will switch roles and tunic with the youngest member of the unit. The soldier becomes the honorary commander for the day.
The tradition of the Christmas dinner is a long standing one. It reinforces unit cohesion, fosters mutual respect and lets the troops know that their efforts throughout the year are appreciated. For these reasons, the tradition continues today.