…evolving
Your Eyewitness is resigned to the fact that, while he’s comfortable with “continuity”, “change” is inevitable. He’s talking about Christmas, which falls tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean he has to cave in to the changes just like that, does it? Naah! He’d going to heed Dylan Thomas’s advice and “rage against the night”. In this case, the dying of Christmas traditions.
Now, don’t get your Eyewitness wrong: he’s no fanatical stick in the mud, but just averse to change just for change’s sake.
Now take this “Christmas shopping” business that now defines Christmas. How did the simple “gift-giving” tradition at Christmas time evolve into this trillion-dollar crass extravaganza?? Your Eyewitness fondly remembers, as a wee lad, his parents taking him to Georgetown to “window shop”. And while some of you, dear readers, might be clucking your tongue at the “deprived” Charles Dickens-like life of your young Eyewitness, believe you me, he felt transported into another world, as his siblings and he “ooohed and aaahed” at the creative displays in the windows of Water Street stores.
This was as close to art as he was going to get…and it wasn’t half bad. The displays, after all, all had Christmas themes, if he remembers correctly. Two days ago, as he wandered around Georgetown, apart from the continuous rain, he was hard pressed to find anything creative in the crude commercialism of the hucksters pushing cheap plastic gewgaws into his face. Is there no longer any appreciation about “man not being able to live by bread alone”?
Then your Eyewitness ambled over to the Marriott to check out how the well-heeled Guyanese might be gearing for their Christmas balls. They still have those, he hoped…and the folks in charge assured him there were several classy goings-on booked. Thank God for the overseas Guyanese he espied filling up the joint!! But as he walked from the parking lot into the Marriott’s lobby, he encountered the adjoining Forestry Building.
The Forestry Building, more correctly, encountered him!! That joint was jumping at midday, with music blasting at jet-roar decibels, causing your Eyewitness to fear for the integrity of that wooden building!! And he wondered if there was any connection of the revelry to Minister Trotman’s confession that the forestry sector did “badly”. In the past, public servants would’ve observed Christmas with some class and panache — following the example of their bosses at the Georgetown Club — not grinding down to ghetto vulgarity. Reminded your Eyewitness of the folks dancing frenetically on the Titanic as it was about to plunge into that iceberg!!
Anyway, tonight, yours truly will stick to his black cake and ginger beer — and maybe seconds on that baked chicken!!
…and sugar workers
While some have accused the British (with good reason!) of foisting Christianity and Christmas on the poor souls they brought to labour on the sugar plantations, circumstances conspired to make Christmas a period of comparative joy. The “big crop” would’ve ended, and bonuses — first called “back pay”, then “profit sharing”, and later still “API” (annual production incentive) — would’ve been collected.
Children would be given a new set of clothing, to become their “going-out” clothes — more generally known as “Sunday best”! The house also may’ve gotten a new piece of furniture. But for sure, relatives would be invited over for a drink and a (comparatively) sumptuous meal on Christmas Day. It was a day that generated great expectations and high anticipations!! Not this year — and not only for the 5,000 workers who’ve been fired and not even been given their “severance” pay.
What makes it worse is no one even thought that they, too, are human, and need some Christmas cheer!!
…and prisoners
Using the tradition passed down from the Royal Prerogative, President Granger pardoned some women prisoners so they might enjoy a “Merry Christmas’.
Could he not see fit to also pardon some who were caught with less than a gram of ganja?
