Letters: Make dolls that look like our Kiwi kids

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My 4-year-old granddaughter wants just two things for Christmas. A construction dress-up set (complete with hard-hat and high visibility vest) and a baby doll. Her parents found the construction set while I battled the aisles at the Warehouse and Farmers - in search of a suitable doll.

Every baby doll in stock had blue eyes, light skin and blonde hair. At Farmers there was a Moana Disney Princess Barbie type doll with darker skin but not a single ordinary dark skinned baby doll in either store.

Over half of Rotorua children are Maori or Pasifika - isn't it time the buyers for both stores recognised this fact and ensured we had choice? Blonde hair and blue eyes are not the pinnacle of beauty and dark hair and brown eyes are beautiful too. Our children need to understand this and feel valued.

I gave up and found a beautiful doll on Amazon - made in France! It came with a choice of three skin tones and eye colours. My granddaughter will receive a doll that looks like her.

May stores like Amazon flourish if New Zealand stores continue to be colour blind.

E M SMITH
Rotorua

Christmas a religious festival

I know well that there is always likely to be someone to criticise even the most well-intentioned efforts of others to make a positive difference in society. I have always preferred to look beyond any momentary objection in favour of a deeper, more reasonable motive, while at the same time remaining true to my beliefs.

Therefore, after careful consideration, I find I must address my concerns about an article in the Rotorua Weekender (November 24) in which the beautiful suggestion was made to create loving Christmas cards for the lonely, to be left at the library for distribution.

The issue of concern for me is that the instructions asked that no religious message be used, as included would be non-religious recipients. I am a Christian, and understand that the very reason we celebrate Christmas is because of the life, death and resurrection of he who brought light and hope to our struggling world. Without the Christ, we would only be celebrating the pagan winter solstice festival.

Therefore, I suggest that if you prefer a secular greeting, it would be more appropriate to use a "Thinking of You" card, particularly since a non-religious recipient is likely to be feeling lonely for reasons other than those connected to Christmas, thus allowing a more relevant religious message for the Christmas cards.

I respect and quite enjoy the secular aspect of Christmas, and I ask only that the true meaning of Christmas not be diminished in the pursuit of kind deeds.

MARY WRIGHT
Rotorua