1. The Cleaning. Ok, let me be honest, I may not like the process. If you have Caribbean parents like I do, this process includes; washing walls...inside and out, washing chair cushions...burr???, gutting the living room and giving the tiles UNDER the vinyl a very thourough scrubbing and basically any task hinting at the slavery days (I wonder if they know its been abolished??) However, I most certainly love the outcome. Everything and everywhere looks and smells so clean, its almost as if the house is brand new! In all of this cleaning of house though we must remember to clean our hearts (my new favorite Christmas song courtesy Rizon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1-gxZsK2Mo ). Speaking of music, next on my list...
2. The Christmas Music. If you don't like in Trinidad and Tobago and you're not as blessed as I am to hear live parang in all its forms (soca, Chinee, etc.), I am sympathetic towards you. If you have no idea what parang is then you definitely need to plan to spend your next Christmas vacation here. Parang so sweet! and you definitely can't sit quietly and listen to it...there must be dancing! When that cuatro and the maracas and the tock tock start up, you start singing along in español (whether you can speak and/or understand it or not).
3. The Lights. Won't you agree there's something simply magical about Christmas lights? I know some of them can be quite gaudy, but the ones that are elegantly done have this ability to transport you to a wonderland. I love the lights.
4. The Tree. I love to put up our tree on Christmas eve. I feel like once the tree is up Christmas is officially 'in the building'. I also love the presents, not only in the receiving way, but also in the giving way. My family does a secret santa/gift exchange thingie and its so much fun playing Sherlock Holmes trying to uncover out who has whose name and also trying to figure out the perfect present for the peron's name you receive. Needless to say, its all quite exciting.
5. The Christmas Movies. My Christmas cannot be complete without at least one viewing of each of the Home Alone movies. Sitting with my family and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas or Jack Frost...what could be better? And I can't forget Lifetime, with its endless stream of Christmas/Romance (I had to create a genre just for them), it's the only time I can tolerate the network.
6. The FOOD!!! If you tell me food isn't on your list I may call you a fibber. Pastelle, sorrel, turkey, pepperpot!!! (please contact your Guyanese associates for a tasting of this delicious delicacy). I love my belly too much, but while we enjoy our feasts, let us remember those less fortunate than we are and share with them from the abundance we are blessed with.
NOTE TO CARNIVAL: Try don't rush Christmas out...give us a chance to enjoy it please.
What are your favourite things about the Christmas season?
