FOR most of us Jamaicans, Christmas conjures up pleasant images of family gatherings, celebration, lots of food and drink, and a time when the air is pervaded with a sense of goodwill and merrymaking.

It is heralded by developments in the world of nature, so that the appearance of the cane flags, the maturing of the sorrel, the appearance of mature pods on the gungo peas plants, the advent of the Christmas breeze, and the appearance of the red hue of the poinsettias, are taken as the clear signals that Christmas is “just around the corner”. In some way, it’s as if nature is announcing and inviting the people to join in the celebration of Christmas.

From early in my childhood I learnt that this was not always the experience of some persons with the approaching days of Christmas. I recall that eventful Christmas week when my mom went to collect her salary as a teacher, and changed it at the bank in order to take care of the various bills and to see to what provisions could be made for the family for Christmas.

On her way home she was attacked by two young men who threw her to the ground and with physical force demanded and took her handbag with all its contents. As a purely reflex action, and out of sheer desperation, she gave chase, but to no avail. What could she have done, even if she were to catch up with the bandits?

That year the family had a sobering experience as we came to realise the danger to which our mom was exposed, Christmas without the trappings, the generosity of neighbours who tried to throw in what little they could share of their substance, but above all, we came to appreciate the real meaning of Christmas, which was not dependent on the material circumstances in which we found ourselves. Indeed, it was not only a sobering moment for the family, but it brought us together as a more closely linked unit as we journeyed through those difficult days.

There is a sense in which the nostalgic picture of tranquil Jamaica, pervaded by an air of merrymaking and celebration at Christmas, has somehow been blown apart, and that does not reflect the reality of the context within which we, as a nation, come to our celebration of Christmas this year.

We cannot as a nation ignore the reality of crime and violence with the consequent loss of life and injury to persons which it leaves in its wake. This year in particular, we cannot overlook the national tragedy that befell us in May resulting in the loss of over 70 lives during the uprising in Western Kingston. Neither can we ignore the reality of the high level of unemployment which faces many of our people, and the serious economic challenges which confront even those who are employed.

At the same time, I want to suggest that at a level that is more individualistic, there are countless persons for whom Christmas is not a time for celebration, but a time to experience moments of sadness, loss, pain, and grief. We may think of those persons who this year will approach Christmas with the absence of a loved one from the family circle.

This can be particularly painful in situations in which the absent one was the matriarch who held the family together, or the bread-winner whose income and labour kept body and soul together for the family.

There are those for whom Christmas coincides with the anniversary of the death of a loved one and which, as a consequence, casts a shroud over the observance of Christmas. This is particularly painful where the circumstance of loss was a tragic death such as violence, accident, sudden death or suicide. The more recent the loss, the more painful may be the experience. Yet, even though we glibly say that “time heals all wounds”, the passage of time may be no indicator of where persons are at in their struggle with grief and loss.

One set of persons that it is easy for us to overlook is the increasing number of elderly whose children have migrated and who now live alone. With the best of intentions, family members cannot make it home for Christmas each year, and even the sums received by money transfer will not fill the void left by absent family members.

In this connection, we need to acknowledge that there are many in our society who have neither spouse nor children and who may be very much alone at this time, while for others, this Christmas will mark the year of the breakdown of the marriage or family unit by separation or divorce.

So, while we make our preparations and even participate in staging treats for children or the institutionalised and assume that we have fulfilled our mission of charity, we are being challenged to recall those who are in situations that we may easily overlook, but who stand in need of our attention and support as we celebrate Christmas.

At the same time, we still hold within our hands the possibility of reducing the number of persons who approach this Christmas with sorrow and pain and from whose life the spirit of celebration departs. In this regard, we may take note of the initiatives by the National Road Safety Council to contain the fatalities on our roads to below 300 for 2010.

It is most disconcerting to see the kind of carnage taking place as persons continue to use the roads recklessly and without due regard for the lives of others. It is most disconcerting also to note that most of these fatalities are taking place on some of the better roadways in our land, and to hear the lame excuses offered by persons who are not prepared to place responsibility on our motorists.

Why should we have to spend excessive amounts to create elaborate and expensive medians to contain speeding motorists when so many roads in the island do not even have a proper surface? We continue to warn approaching motorists of police speed traps by flashing our headlights so that they can slow down for the few seconds and then resume their deadly speed while placing the lives of others at risk.

Even at this 11th hour one still has to ask why is it that the police are unable to patrol our highways in unmarked cars in order to nab those reckless motorists who are constantly creating the “third lane” or forcing oncoming motorists onto the soft shoulder? Clearly, these dangerous activities will not be curtailed by speed traps and will continue to cause accidents and place lives at risk. Additionally, there is need for the visible presence of police on motorcycles whose mobility allows for a greater element of surprise and the possibility of impacting positively on the behaviour of motorists.

An improvement in the visible presence of the police in areas of commercial activity is obvious as Christmas shopping gains momentum. This is necessary to reduce robberies and other acts of criminal activity. At the same time, the loss of lives on the roads seems to be a more imminent threat and perhaps needs to be held constantly in balance with the personnel dispatched to commercial areas to protect property.

Hopefully, we will as citizens play our part in making the effort of the police worthwhile by not exposing ourselves to danger and by being sensible in how we go about our business activities. Likewise, it is hoped that all of us who use the roads as pedestrians or motorists will play our part in not contributing to the statistics of fatalities and the consequent heartache which these bring to the lives of families.

While we recognise that for some persons, Christmas is not centred primarily in its religious base with the entry of the divine into human history and experience in the birth of the Christ-child, let us try as a nation to pay attention to all who are at risk of being left out of the loop of this season of goodwill and celebration, as we seek to share where necessary, and to comfort and console where this is indicated.

— Howard Gregory is the Suffragan Bishop of Montego Bay