At Christmas, I no more desire a rose

Than wish a snow in May’s new fangled mirth;

But like of each thing that

In season grows.

— Shakespeare

Well, we have no snow here as even fridges are no-frost, so we can’t even see what some semblance of snow may have looked like judging from those old-time freezers. But we do have roses which, as the man said, we should not desire more at Christmas than any other time. We also have mirth, and lots of it, for in spite of our crosses, we still are a happy people.

Very rarely will you hear a Jamaican complain for any length of time. Instead, we usually reply to each greeting with optimism and mirth.

“Suh how things going?”

“Not too bad, yu nuh, I have health and strength.”

“Hey, how are you doing after the accident?”

“Bwoy, I giving thanks.”

Yes, we give thanks for every waking day, in spite of what we are going through in this crosses that has overtaken the world and indeed Jamaica. The crosses called Corona.

Now, Christmas is a few days away and one season that we all love is this one – whether you are Christian, Jew, Gentile, Moslem, Heathen or Rasta, this season means something. Even people who say that they don’t believe in Christmas act differently this time of year, maybe not from a spiritual perspective for all concerned, but certainly from a financial, family, festive, fun perspective.

But draw brakes, hold on, stick a pin. Corona mash that up, or has it?

Corona Christmas is what we’re exploring today, right after these responses to ‘Wife school’.

Hi Tony,

There are some things that wives could learn from such a school, but I don’t believe today’s women would agree with everything on the curriculum, nor would I want my wife doing everything for me. But, I would not object to some things. I have daughters and I would not want them to be subservient to any man, but there is nothing wrong in being mutually kind and somewhat attentive to each other’s needs. Perhaps a husband school would be in order?

Adam

Hey Tony,

Wife school indeed. It’s not wives who need schooling, but husbands who have to be trained how to treat women. Most have no clue regarding what a woman needs and think that their mere presence should be enough to keep a woman contented. Most women suffer in silence. It’s always the woman bending backwards, and I mean that literally, to make her man happy. Meanwhile, he just relaxes and watches TV.

Lilla

So Christmas is not only around the corner, it’s actually knocking on our doorstep. But guess what? Something big and menacing has almost eclipsed the festive season. It, too, starts with a C like Christmas, but it brings no joy, no festivity, no happiness, no mirth, just crosses.

It’s here, and it has cast a dark cloud, a pall of gloom over the land that threatens to take away the only time that many people have to lift their spirits. We reflect on previous years when we had such good times, most of us at least, but now all that has to be tempered.

Christmas is a time for social interaction and activity but Corona is the opposite of that for social distancing is now the order of the day. But how can this be? How can we have Christmas celebrations in this joyous time with friends and family if Corona threatens us all?

The scientists in the USA say that the chief spread of Corona is through family gatherings and bars, things that most Jamaicans love to indulge in. Stories of entire families contracting the virus are rife in the USA, with even a startling report of nine members of one family testing positive and three of them dying.

Some children have lost both parents, sometimes both dying within minutes of each other. It’s horrific. But we are social beings, gregarious, love to meet and greet and mingle, especially at Christmas, for this season is a social one. So what do we do? I see a problem, for I know so-called intelligent, educated people who ignore the warnings at this time, for as they say, “Christmas comes but once a year.”

Maybe they think that they’re immune, or perhaps they just say, “What the heck, it’s Christmas! I have to enjoy myself no matter what.” People fly in from foreign in droves, even though there are calls to curtail this activity. But I guess each person assumes that even if they travel, others won’t.

It’s a double-edged sword, for with more people flying in it means more revenue for the airlines and the economy on a whole. But if they arrive and observe the protocols it wouldn’t be so bad, but so many of them don’t. They arrive at the airport and begin their odyssey of trips, flitting from place to place before they even reach home to take a shower. And we wonder why this thing is spreading.

There is one lady who I know who wanted to leave the airport and go straight to her seamstress before even unpacking first, as she wanted an outfit for her birthday party. When the seamstress became aware of this, she promptly told her not to come. “Better I lose a client than expose myself,” she said. But can you believe that the woman still insisted, saying, “Cho, nobody will know that I just flew in from New York.” The seamstress stood her ground and refused her.

But it’s Christmas, and festivities have to take centre stage. A recent news report here showed that there were over 300 parties slated to be held one weekend. That’s a lot of parties.

Even so, I have friends who take the protocols very seriously and quarantine members of their family who arrive here from overseas for Christmas. These visitors are locked away for two weeks, down to the very day, hour and minute, as the protocols are observed. Corona Christmas it may be, but quarantine is a part of it.

I dared to mention to a relative who flew in from New York to, “Please, wear a mask if you plan to interact with family members,” and got a royal cussing for doing so.

“Do you think that I’m an idiot? Of course I know that I’m to wear a mask.”

“Excuse me, I was just being extra careful.”

I do wish that more people were extra careful. Being paranoid isn’t always a bad thing.

The vendors and merchants are having a difficult time, as for most of them Christmas time is when they make their biggest sales. That goes for large retail stores, medium-size establishments and the street vendor. Online shopping is huge overseas, with the USA topping US$5 billion worth of sales on Black Friday. Ironically, the food lines for COVID relief stretched for miles.

We still prefer to shop face to face, plus online shopping eliminates so many workers. But how can there be mass in-person shopping if social distancing is required? It’s the hustle and bustle of walking the streets to shop that makes this season so exciting. But the protocols mash that up and the nightly curfews certainly cut the number of hours during which merchants can ply their wares.

This occurs in foreign too, much to the consternation of merchants and restaurant owners who want to survive. It’s a tricky balancing act — tighten the strictures and survive health wise, or relax them and have the virus spread.

I feel it for all concerned, in fact I feel it for myself and family too, for we all are affected. Corona seems to have cancelled Christmas in so many areas. We used to look forward to Christmas Day buffet at Terra Nova hotel, meeting and greeting the hundreds of people who usually attend, walking the plazas until late hours on Christmas Eve night. No more, as Corona Christmas is different.

We can’t even pop in on friends, house to house, for food and drinks, but have to curtail all that and downsize the activities. But guess what, there are people who use this Corona Christmas to their advantage. There are guys who save a lot on gifts as they use Corona as an excuse not to be able to shop or visit girlfriends. Corona curfew is a popular reason. They save money this way, as they cut back on everything.

“Whap’n to that North Coast trip you promised me?”

“Corona, baby, Corona.”

But even as I speak there are still some people who could not give a hoot, and still have their gatherings and parties because, Corona or no Corona, Christmas haffi keep and they are going to enjoy it to the max.

These are indeed interesting times, as Corona has cast a deadly spell on this Christmas season. It’s one we will never forget — Corona Christmas 2020.

In spite of this, have a wonderful Christmas, my friends, and please stay safe.

More time.

seido1yard@gmail.com

Footnote: Here’s what I find bewildering, the fact that people can simply post anything on social media without giving thought to how those words can impact on the livelihood and welfare of others. They will post or forward stories about people and establishments without checking the sources. Many have no source but are simply paragraphs or pages that are unsigned, yet they accept it as gospel. I keep on saying, if the story is not attributed to a reliable source it’s useless as far as I am concerned. Anybody can simply write something and put it on social media. It’s basically high-tech gossip. I beg you, please don’t send me anything that doesn’t have a credible source.