THERE is no Christmas celebration that can rival a Christmas holiday in Guyana, according to Guyanese-born Diasporeans domiciled all over the world.

And for those who can manage to return home, the joy is shared by family and friends in communities countrywide.
While Guyana cannot boast of a winter wonderland – of slush and snow, and being stuck indoors; it can provide the home of the heart and revive great memories of happy times with schoolmates and families.
Guyana is the home of the heart and the ethos of a Christmas holiday spent at home cannot be replicated anywhere in the world, because the ambience of home-styled celebrations cannot be purchased; not to mention the plethora of home-styled dishes from Guyana’s unique cultural diversity.
Then there are the midnight services at the various churches, which lend a spiritual ambience to the Christmas festivities and a bonding of peace and goodwill with one’s fellow man, carol singing in churches and through village streets, especially on donkey and horse-carts during moonlit nights.
Masqueraders prancing to the sounds of flutes, with Bam-Bam Sally, the man on stilts, the mad cow, et al, gyrating in multi-coloured splendour on village and city streets, with drivers good-naturedly putting a ‘freck’ in the caps.
The excitement in the streets as shoppers thronged the supermarkets, stores and marketplaces, all packed with goodies to suit every need for the celebration of Guyana’s primary festive occasion.

If we are to judge by the thousands who would have thronged the City for the last phase of Xmas shopping 2014, then it can be concluded that Guyanese would have again demonstrated that love for a season that resonates across all social and ethnic lines.

Irrespective of means, it is tradition for Guyanese to “pull out the stops”, so to speak, for a day that is acknowledged and celebrated worldwide.

Christmas, acknowledged as the ‘Season of peace and goodwill to all men’, is also a time of giving, when particularly the less fortunate and the needy is remembered. Especially, we think of the many young boys and girls who have been orphaned, through tragic circumstances and other instances as are daily reported in the media, and whose lives have since changed. For them there are no moms and dads to make their happy holidays. This is not to forget the many children who have originated from underprivileged homes.
The account given by a Mr. Anthony Pantlitz, via a media letter captioned: ‘Giving a child a gift this Christmas’, in which he sums up his experiences as a young child, is indeed a graphical reminder of the brutal childhood that many of our very young do have to experience in homes ridden by serious social issues.
Therefore, we applaud the President and his wife, the many ministries, the Guyana Defence Force, the Guyana Police Force, social organisations such as the Salvation Army and the Dharam Shala, and corporate entities, that have held Christmas parties in the many communities for children, distributing Xmas presents, eats and goodies to the many hundreds.
But very special mention must also be made of the growing number of overseas-based Guyanese, who are visiting for Christmas, but have also sought to make those children happy, by providing really grand Xmas parties – such as Karen Jackman and Bernadette Bowen, who entertained kids to what can be described as a grand Christmas party at the latter’s home in the McDoom community.
The same must be said for Edgar Henry and Sadhu Hoppie, from Beterverwagting, but resident in the United States, who gave cheer to 110 children. In fact, according to Henry, the children’s party was just a continuation of the many contributions which overseas-based Baronians (name of residents of BV) have been making to their home village.
We have no doubt that similar activities at this time of the year are taking place in many other communities throughout Guyana; and for this, these citizens of goodwill must again be commended for not only remembering their country of origin at this most auspicious time of the year, but also for reaching out to the many young, many of whom are not that privileged.
These persons are a far cry from the arm-chair critics, who from their distant, newly adopted climes, criticised their homeland, as to what they perceive to be its social ills, and what should be done, without even realising that Government agencies have been implementing programmes to bring about change. How many of this category of perennial critics have ever given back to their homeland? They should take example from their compatriots.
But we hope that this practice of love for community and children, be extended throughout the year, as in the case of many other contributors who are part of regular programmes for their respective communities.
It is certain that the many beautiful and humane gestures at this time of year, as editorialised, would have been appreciated by the many thousands of children, whose Christmas would have been made brighter.
Christmas is the one holiday that is celebrated by Guyanese from every religion; and if the spirit of camaraderie as experienced during the Christmas festivities prevails all the time, then Guyana would be an example as a nation united in joy, tolerance and goodwill for one’s fellow man.
Merry Christmas to all our readers, and to the nation in general!