It’s the most wonderful time of the year. But this particular Christmas season feels quite different.
This will be the first Noel I spend in Barbados, away from Montreal, away from New York and away from nearly all the familiar indicators that say ’tis the season.
Gone is the snow and the cold nor’easter wind that I was forced to brave every Christmas for the last 30 years as I engaged in a hopeless search for the perfect gift. Canadian cities are currently averaging temperatures hovering around ten degrees.
Nowhere do I see car parks filled with freshly cut conifers to be bought and driven – partially hanging out the trunk of a vehicle – to homes they will fill with the scent of pine.
I’ve also yet to come across five different, bearded white men dressed in bright red, all on the same day. Instead, I’m treated to strange, warm days – and as of late, refreshingly cool nights – with precipitation that is nowhere near frozen. Hallelujah.
I spot car parks worked by car-wash men with shopping carts draped in tinsel. I see “snow on the mountain” and there’s nothing cold about it. And I saw my first black Santa Claus in years.
I hear ZRs whizzing by blaring parang. I see less fairy lights, but more happiness. I see people that genuinely enjoy the season and I feel an unparalleled energy. Already, I can tell the Christmas parties I’ll be attending will be just a little bit more . . . fun.
But I also see people who work every bit as hard as North Americans, and often harder, but earn less and for whom the VAT increase is especially difficult to bear at this time of year. I hear it at least once per day. Still, they’re not letting it get them too down.
I’ve noticed that it’s the buzz of the people around me that most indicates that ’tis the season to be jolly.
And it’s the people, family and friends who won’t be around me, which will be the only thing I’ll miss. I’m still not sure where I`ll be spending Christmas day, but I’ve been extended a couple invitations. So, somewhere, I’ll get my jug jug, great cake and sweet potato pie. And instead of turkey, I’ll definitely get some pork. I’ve heard so many people talking about Christmas ham that I can smell and taste it already. It’s a tough time of year to be a pig.
Yes, it’s a bit different this year. But many of these differences were expected. What I didn’t expect though was to see a country which, for the most part, hasn’t forgotten why we celebrate. Christmas is, and should be, foremost a time to celebrate the birth of the Saviour.
I often see myself as a big sinner, so I appreciate the true significance of the season. And when I look at Barbados, I see a nation that for the most part, appreciates the same.
This Christmas, as with every December 25 that I can remember, I will look back on the year and thank God for my many blessings. This year, as different as it is, being able to spend Christmas in Barbados will be one of the blessings for which I will be most thankful.
