With just over two weeks to go before Christmas Day how are your preparations coming? And are you in the Christmas spirit? We asked the man/woman in the street these questions and here is what they said:
Portia Clarke, private sector employee
`My house is not in order and I still have a lot of things to do. I am trying now to juggle that with work and my studies. I am not feeling the Christmas spirit. I normally get into the spirit on Christmas Day when there is the eating and getting together with friends and family and I love spending time with them during this season. For Christmas I really want for there to be more peace on earth and for the government to do something to ease the tax burden on citizens’.
Odessa Primus, teacher
`I am not really a Christmas person. I don’t think that there is really a Christmas spirit even for those people who are really into Christmas. I am only cleaning up and decorating my house because I am expecting visitors. I have started the clean-up process and should finish within the next week and a half. Christmas to me is all about bringing out the nice things. I normally go all out with my cooking at this time of year but not with the traditional dishes. I bought a recipe book recently and I saw some nice rice dishes that I have never heard of before so I will prepare them. For Christmas I will like for there to be peace in the country’.
Franklin Archer, calypso singer
`I plan to clean the entire house but I have no one to help me. I am a bachelor. All the painting was done already so all that is left for me to do is to wipe the wall and tidy the house. I plan to finish this soon. I expect many people to stop by me for Christmas so I will be doing a bit of cooking. I will prepare some cook-up rice, mauby drink and other things. I am beginning to feel the Christmas spirit. Right now I am walking around window shopping. My Christmas wish this year is to live to see the next Christmas’.
Delano Williams, photographer
`I have started cleaning my house. I should finish cleaning and redecorating about one week before Christmas. I am feeling the Christmas spirit. I think that Christmas is a time for sharing and spending time with your family. For Christmas I want there to be peace in the country, my life and my family’.
Vibert Gibson, private sector employee
`I don’t really get involved in the Christmas preparations, my wife does that. My son also helps her out so I don’t have to do much. I don’t really enjoy Christmas anymore because the flavour from yesteryear has been lost. A lot of things are absent from the Christmas season for example the masqueraders have lost their flavour. They don’t use any flute music and I don’t even see the little boys with cap guns. I am not in the Christmas spirit. From October you would normally get a change of atmosphere and the Christmas spirit. That doesn’t happen anymore’.
Jewel Whyte, photographer
`I have started my cleaning and I should finish on Christmas Eve day. I have to work and I would usually do the cleaning in parts every night. All I am doing this year is cleaning, painting and redecorating. I am not feeling the Christmas spirit yet because I don’t have money. I need that to be able to do things. Christmas is all about giving and receiving gifts. I am expecting visitors so I will be making the traditional dishes – black cake, pepper pot and ginger beer. I want my Christmas gift to be money’.
Roxan Baldeo, housewife
`I have already cleaned my house for Christmas. I finished a couple of weeks ago. I am not in the Christmas spirit yet. The excitement is not there. I think that Christmas is all about joy, family cooking and giving gifts. Every year I would fix up my house early. I will be preparing, chicken, turkey and lots of other foods for Christmas Day. I will eat until I am tired. I want a baby for Christmas’.
Denise Fredericks, private sector employee
`I am still cleaning the house but I should finish later this week. I am just cleaning and decorating this year. This is what I do every year. I am not in the Christmas spirit because I am not getting the money to do my shopping. For the Christmas season I want new clothes for myself and children and plenty groceries. I think that Christmas this year will be good but not like the previous years’.
Maggie Solomon, housewife
`I have started my preparation and I should have everything in order on Christmas Eve day. It is a tradition for me to get everything in order on that day. The tradition says that Santa comes that night so I put the children to bed early and I stay up and decorate the place and hang up the stockings. I am just keeping with the tradition. I am getting into the Christmas Spirit. Christmas is a time for getting together with family and friends’.
