Merry Christmas, dear Countrymen and women

Dear Editor,
“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir. And folks dressed up like Eskimos… Although it’s been said, many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you.”
So, another year has almost passed, and Christmas is upon us once again. It is the time of year when Christians reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, who they worship as their Lord and Saviour. While Christmas is a festive season that represents peace on earth and goodwill towards all mankind, our sympathy goes out to all those who are sick and bedridden in hospitals and to those who have lost loved ones during the year. This Yuletide season should serve as a period of reflection on our lives and how we must redouble our efforts in 2026 to uplift others, live in peace and harmony and make Guyana a prosperous nation.
If there is ever a time when politics should take a holiday, that time is at Christmas when families come together to celebrate. It would be very easy to dwell on the negative, but in this blessed and joyous season, let us choose happiness over sadness and embrace the special joy of a Guyanese Christmas. Those who can enjoy the warmth of the sunshine in Guyana and its fine dishes – pepper pot, curry, cook-up, garlic pork, pot-roast chicken, ham, black cake and ginger beer – should think of the cold winter their fellow Guyanese have to endure in the Diaspora and are overwhelmed with nostalgia at this time of the year.
Christmas is a time of healing and goodwill to all mankind. What more appropriate time can there be for us Guyanese to forget the hurt, the animosity, the persecution, the frustration and the bitterness of the past? We call on each one of you to renew your spirit of love towards one another and hold out the hand of friendship and forgiveness to neighbours, friends, and those from whom we have been estranged and have done you wrong. Let us recapture the spirit of the message that brought joy to the world 2000 years ago by the Babe of Bethlehem. Let us celebrate and be happy and pledge to work together to free Guyana from the monsters of malevolence, unkindness, poverty and crime. We must spare no effort to understand the true meaning of peace, love and happiness.
In this festive season, we join our brothers and sisters to pray for Guyana as one nation, to make sure all the 83,000 square miles of our territory remain intact, for the prosperity of all Guyanese and for common sense and understanding to always prevail in their actions. We must also pray for peace, happiness and goodwill towards all, hatred and bitterness towards none and for love towards one another.
Perhaps the holidays will give our leaders of every ethnic background a genuine chance to harvest plans that will be inclusive of all in our society and embrace the new year as one of healing, comforting, atonement and cooperation. There is no shortage of sharing and goodwill in Guyana, especially at this time of year. There are stories everywhere of people giving to the less fortunate, the homeless, the elderly, and children. There are many more acts of kindness displayed throughout the holiday season which are not reported.
To those who have and continue to extend a kind, courteous, and helping hand to others, we thank you for a job well done. For if that display of human compassion helps to change the life of just one person for the better, it would have been worth the effort. The spirit of giving has not been made easy for many because of the high cost of living. In fact, there are many others who wanted to give but are not able to do so because they can hardly provide for their families. However, the Government has shown compassion in giving toys to children in almost every community across the country. But the true meaning of Christmas continues to elude many Guyanese because of their poverty and unbearable living conditions. Too often, it is the greedy, not the needy; the rich and powerful and not the poor and the powerless that get most of the attention at Christmas.
We commend and admire those who are helping the poor, who through no fault of their own are struggling to make ends meet. Nothing much has changed in the lives of many during the past years, and from all indications, this may be a very bleak Christmas for some of them. Our fervent wish in this festive season of goodwill is that all will put their shoulders to the wheel to help develop and build Guyana so that all, not only a selected few, can share in the bounties of its prosperity. We love politics, but more importantly, we love Guyana and our fellow Guyanese, especially those who are dedicated and are working tirelessly not only for their own success but for others and the nation.
We graciously ask the Almighty to continue to bless our leaders, our beautiful, beloved and picturesque Guyana and its resilient, loving, caring, peaceful and God-fearing people. We remain proud of the people of Guyana and wish them a bright, successful and happy future and sincerely hope that they live to see and enjoy many more Christmases.
Merry Christmas, dear countrymen and women; we hope you enjoy the festive season in peace, love and happiness. May God bless all of you and keep you safe.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Asquith Rose