At Christmas,

I no more desire a rose

Than wish a snow

In May’s new fangled mirth.

— Shakespeare, Love’s Labour’s Lost

IT’S almost here, the day that we all look forward to with gleeful anticipation, that day when most people try to throw away their cares and woes and enjoy the festive time with friends and family. Sadly, it won’t be very merry for many people, especially those who were so badly impacted by that terrible Hurricane Melissa. Our hearts go out to them and we wish them a speedy recovery from the horrible tragedy that befell them.

‘Blow wind and crack your cheeks!

Rage, blow, you cataract and hurricanoes spout

Till you have drenched our steeples

Drowned the cocks

And thou all shaking thunder

Strike flat the thick rotundity o the world’.

— King Lear

For those who weren’t directly affected by the deluge, Christmas should be a positive affair, even though hearts and minds will be with the victims. Our prayers go out to them all. “There but for the grace of God, go I,” it has been said.

So let’s make the most of it and enjoy the festive season that now envelopes us. The blessed day may be a few hours away, and many folks are busy running up and down preparing for others and for themselves.

In spite of what challenges there are, it’s Christmas time and it deh pon we again, as we’ll see right after these responses to what I had to say about ‘Justice for whom’.

Tony,

Jamaicans for Justice and Indecom serve a purpose. The solution to the problem is a push for the Government to equip the police with body-worn cameras. It doesn’t matter where the head of Indecom comes from, extrajudicial killing is extrajudicial killing. Even in England the police are complaining about the IPOC (Independent Office for Police Conduct), with some armed police officers returning to regular policing. This tells you that police are the same everywhere — they do not welcome scrutiny.

Harley

Teerob,

Bravo for having the guts to take on those institutions that seem to place more scrutiny on the very forces that are meant to protect us, but heap sympathy on those who are hell-bent on destroying us. The cartoon by
Clovis accompanying the article was spot on, showing the police having to fight two battles, one with the criminals, the other with the JFJ and Indecom. I am no fool, there has to be scrutiny and justice but justice for all, including the police.

Cedric

I must point out that the first letter is a condensed version of a very lengthy, almost full-page response to my article. I did my best to highlight the more salient points.

But on to Christmas time, that time of year when we try to put all our cares and crosses away, forget our troubles, refrain from showing our bad ways and instead try to be kind, loving, benevolent, thoughtful and sensitive to the needs of our fellowmen and women.

The question has been asked, “Why can’t people be this way all the time and not only at Christmas?” The answer is summed up in this quote from Shakespeare, “If all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work. But when they seldom come, they wished for come.” —
Henry V

So I guess being good and kind is more appreciated if you didn’t display those attributes during the year. Strange logic as it may seem, it does perhaps have some truth to it. Good days are appreciated more after a string of bad days. The sunshine after the rain is welcomed, as is the rain after a drought..

But when is Christmas time though? For does it not seem to start earlier every year? From as early as late October I have seen hints of Christmas being teased by some merchants. By mid-November those hints become more apparent, then by late November it seems as if the season begins to take root, branches and flowers.

Is this due to anticipating this joyous season or simply that the merchants want to capitalise on a longer season? After all, the early bird catches the worm, and the earlier the bird and the longer he stays, then more worms will be caught.

‘Early bird specials,’ ‘Pre-Christmas sale,’ ‘Pre- pre-Christmas bargains,’ ‘Layaway now and no payment during the season,’ ‘No interest until after the season,’ ‘Christmas in July sale.’

The ads are enticing, the goods are appealing, the attractions are inviting, for it’s Christmas time.

I must confess that I do love this time of year, always did from I was a child. But what child doesn’t like Christmas? After all, it’s the time of year when gifts are given, however large or small. The fact is, stuff is coming your way and everyone seems to treat you special. The aunts, the uncles, the older cousins and family friends all gave you practical gifts such as clothes and shoes while the parents will get you toys, along with the practical gifts of course.

I remember one Christmas my dad gave my brother and I a chemistry set. Well, we did learn about chemistry but we also mixed and matched all the various permutations of the chemicals and almost blew up the house. The explosions caused by the chemical reactions fascinated us.

One aunt gave me a shirt that was clearly mass produced and was definitely not one of a kind, for when I ventured out in public wearing that said multi-coloured floral garment, festooned with all the petals, leaves and colours of a botanical garden, I saw every other boy and man wearing that same style shirt.

It was as if we were all in one grand mass singing group wearing the same uniform as even the jelly coconut man and the peanut vendor sported the same hard-to-ignore shirt. But my aunt meant well, and it was Christmas time, so I took it in good spirit.

Gifts and cards are expected at this time, but I daresay that the price of cards has gone sky-high to the point where it rivals the price of some gifts.

“It’s better that I buy a gift rather than this expensive card.”

It’s the spirit of giving and the spirit of receiving, and some people are givers while others are receivers. Many women expect lavish gifts from men who they just met, while some men tend to do a vanishing act at this time to avoid spending too much on the many gifts for various women.

I saw a story about this woman who had just met this man and asked for a gift of a session at a beauty salon. When he saw the bill of thousands of dollars he beat a hasty retreat.

Some men do the calculations, tabulate the cost factor permutations, do the cost-benefit analysis returns, and discover that the financial fallout is a daunting one. So, they do the practical thing and take flight, disappear for the season, skip town, cut and run, for Christmas time could land them in financial ruin.

Other men give gifts according to romantic rank, so the number one lady gets the most expensive gift, while the middle and lower ranks get the least expensive, in descending order.

“Wow, honey, a gold chain with an engraved pendant for me?”

While the other will say, “This is what you got me, a plain white scarf?”

“Baby, it’s the thought that counts.”

The gift you get is equal to the love that you give, so make sure that you give as much love as you can. I wonder who subscribes to that? Don’t look at me, I am no oracle on selective gift-giving. I’m just thankful for small mercies.

And so should we all be, especially at this time when so many people have much while others have very little. It’s not about the lavish lifestyle but should be more about caring for each other, fellowship with family and friends, and even sharing with strangers.

At this time we should put aside petty differences and embrace the true meaning of this time, the season when we should remember the true meaning of Christmas.

It’s Christmas time and I would like to wish for you the best for the season in this blessed time and beyond.

More time.

seido1yard@gmail.com

Footnote: Rivalry has always been in sports, and I daresay it adds to the competition and the drama. There have been famous rivalries throughout the decades such as Brazil and Argentina in football, the LA Lakers and the Boston Celtics in basketball, Jamaica and the USA in sprinting in recent times, West Indies and England in cricket back in the day, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in boxing. But people often use the term rivalry wrongly. A rivalry is between people or teams of equal standing. There has been a rivalry between KC and STGC and KC and JC in football for many years, between KC and Calabar in Boys’ Champs (in fact, can you imagine a Champs without KC and Calabar?), but there is no rivalry between KC and Calabar in football as the historical achievement gap is too wide. KC has won the Manning Cup and other football titles numerous times while Calabar has won the Manning Cup on only three occasions in their over 200 years of existence. So, there is no football rivalry there. Just setting the record straight.