NOT even the nonbeliever can deny that the Christmas season has a certain vibe about it that is different to any holiday season in any given year.
The heavy droplets of good cheer that are already drenching Saint Lucia will get heavier as we get closer to Christmas Day.
It is called the Spirit of Christmas, and it is already filling the hearts of many of us, giving us that feeling of goodness, that feeling of kindness, that feeling of righteousness, that feeling of joy.
Those sweet harmonious Christmas tunes/songs that now dominate the airwaves, the Christmas decorations slowly popping up island wide and the swell of bustling activities from the provision markets, particularly the one in Castries, as seasonal ground provisions start to make an appearance, are all presenting early vibes of good cheer, signaling themselves as forerunners or harbingers of good things to come as we near Christmas Day. And there is the Salvation Army collection kettle, which to many people, adds to the feeling of Christmas.
There is something about Christmas Day that softens even the hardest of hearts even though it is not the holiest day in the year or the quietest. And that says something! Could that something be that Christmas Day is the most joyous day of the year and that the Christmas season is the most rich-in-love season of the year?
The Christmas season has a certain type of texture that is created by man, what with their shopping days, parties, drinking and eating and outright merriment. Yes, there are the church services, and the call not to commercialise Christmas, but that fades into the forgotten right after the church services end.
Our very own Calypsonian (deceased) ‘The Mighty Pele’ immortalized that texture in song when he sang in Kweyol ‘nonm pov sa milyonne’ during that time of the year, which also gives the impression that the Christmas season is outside the sequence of the ordinary year – a time and space of its own, not associated with the hardships some of us encountered throughout the year.
And so, when the Christmas season hits, even the laziest amongst us takes notice. He/she stands up and looks around to see what he/she can get to soften the rough edges of a hard-hit year.
Some of us may never reach the glorious heights of the well-to-do in society who travel in style or party like rock stars on Christmas Day, or sit down at food laden tables containing mouthwatering edibles. However, one thing is certain, the whole atmosphere of the season and the day makes some of us feel charitable, while even the deprived, unfortunate and underprivileged amongst us get this indescribable feeling, which they never felt before in the month of January right down to November.
Christmas may be archaic, but that ancient and long celebrated day, comes with a feeling of good cheer, hardly anyone can deny.
Therefore, as we head closer and closer to Christmas Day, let us revel in our Christmas traditions. Let us be of good cheer, let us give, willingly and freely to those who are truly in need.
Clearly the Christmas season is a wonderful time to spread joy, kindness, good cheer and to do good and so let’s volunteer to do something good in our community.
To those who can afford to donate food, clothes, toys, household items to charity or to a cause, do so. Let’s not forget to visit our aging or aged relatives who can no longer move about as nimbly or sprightly as we can.
And let’s not forget family….
Spread the good cheer, it’s the Christmas tradition/culture. What is Christmas without that feeling of good cheer?
This is the season of giving!
Whatabout giving the Gobat family justice for Ollies murder for Christmas! 3 years on and no answers!