IT’S Christmas Time yet again and Christians everywhere are in the celebratory mood.
As per usual, people everywhere are going all-out to ensure that this season is best enjoyed. That’s just normal. But not everybody…
As the world turns today, things are getting tighter and tighter for those most in need.
Yes, everybody’s shopping, but not everybody is paying from their pockets or wallets. In many cases, bank loans and/or remittances from abroad help many make ends meet.
But even while eating and making merry like everyone else, many will have put their loans and debts on the back burner – even if just for a while.
It’s not only the small man (and woman) feeling it. The global economy is in the sort of tailspin that does not augur well for developing countries — especially small island states like ours that still haven’t found ways and means to become economically independent.
It is precisely for this reason that all entities that can, do advise consumers to be conscious about how they spend — and on what.
The government’s Consumer Affairs Department is urging citizens to spend wisely, while the Department of Health is also warning consumers to be careful how they go about purchasing meats and other livestock products for the season.
To many – and just too many – this will be one of (if not) the hardest Christmases. They will admit that, but they too will go out on a limb to ensure they do enjoy the Christmas and New Year season like everyone else (as much as possible).
In this issue, The VOICE presents not just a Christmas supplement, but our Canelles section is also dedicated to this season of love and good will.
Among the articles and press releases are many that highlight the various activities, including those undertaken by private companies and public bodies, to spread the Christmas cheer here.
Here’s hoping our readers will enjoy our presentations as intended, as we take this opportunity to wish each and every Saint Lucian – and each and every VOICE reader – the best Merry and Happy Christmas possible.
But even as we enjoy the season’s good will, it’s always important to remember that after Christmas and New Year holidays, we all have to get back to life and return to reality.
In that sense, it is apt to recall the warning of the Folk Research Centre (FRC) decades ago that still rings clearly today as it did yesteryear: Apresjoudlanses mal tete! (After the New Year celebration, it’s headache!)
But, headache or not, we are sure everyone who can will enjoy a MERRY CHRISTMAS! And a HAPPY NEW YEAR!