EDITORIAL: Enjoy Christmas
Some people complain that Christmas is too hectic a period. Traffic is crazy, people act crazy and everything is one big mess around this time on the road and in the stores. However, Christmas should be a sacred time. A time for one to be settled and to enjoy the lights, the goodies and the blessings Christmas can bring, but you can’t have the best Christmas if you don’t plan ahead.
Too many Bajans wait until the last minute to do this and that. They are aware that at Christmas, most Barbadians take the time to do some sprucing up and to carry out general maintenance on their homes and even businesses. They know all too well that a mad rush will be on for cakes and hams and drinks.
Yet, most Bajans go through the same paces every Christmas, rushing for this and that. They turn up at the paint store to find a long line and they get flustered. They arrive at the cake shop to find the last cake just went five minutes before they got there. They try to do their Christmas gift shopping by bouncing from store to store in the weekend before Christmas, knowing full well that finding parking space will prove a headache, that the queues will be lengthy, that prices will likely be a tad bit higher than customary.
Yet, it’s as if Bajans enjoy this big adrenaline rush as they get giddy running to and fro. Unfortunately, this means that on Christmas Day, they will be tired and stretched and will complain that they had so much shopping and baking and cleaning to do that they are now extremely tired and can hardly enjoy the day. This makes no sense whatsoever.
Now we are well aware that at times you end up in the Christmas rush because you have to traverse local roads during this busy time or go to the supermarket for your goods to last through the New Year. Such things cannot be avoided. But for sure, we as Barbadians can plan ahead and shop around at the end of October or even into November for gifts which will cost us much less. We can also start our Christmas shopping early as December rolls around or even our baking as great cake needs time to set, so it’s really tasty. We can start our sprucing up a bit earlier. However, people say they like to “feel the Christmas spirit” and unfortunately, that comes a little too late for some.
Given the number of accidents and incidents and health challenges some people end up with, you can be sure that most people will agree that all this last-minute dilly dallying is not for mind, body nor spirit. So we do hope that Barbadians can make some changes for next year, God spares life.
In the meantime, to truly enjoy Christmas, set aside some time for family and spend your hours this Yuletide season sharing a laugh with your loved ones. Make time for the children because they truly love to see the lights and the decorations on the Christmas tree. To truly enjoy Christmas, we should ensure that we are moderate in our drinking if at all, moderate in our eating and activity for those who have lifestyle diseases. If we have loved ones who have any challenges, we should spend some time helping them out. Make your elderly relatives feel special by looking out for them. Give an extra hello to your neighbours and even someone you meet while out and about. And last but not least, take some time to reflect on the reason for the season.
Here’s wishing you and yours a truly enjoyable Christmas.