REMEMBER playing Cowboy and Indians, Dolly House, Doctor and Nurse? Remember falling asleep during a long Christmas Eve mass?Remember going to bed very, very tired on ‘Christmas Eve’, and still getting up very, very early on Christmas Day?

Remember toys and gifts? Remember de smell of Garlic Pork, Cook-up Rice and Pepper Pot? Remember drinking too much rice wine, and feeling tipsy-tipsy?

Remember decorating the house real nice and putting up plenty fairy lights, and when you plug it in nothing happen? Remember trying to stay awake to see Santa?
Remember eating for ‘lickerishness’ sake? Remember hearing Christmas Carols for the first time of the year and getting a funny, funny feeling down in yuh belly? Remember blowing up a balloon big, big, big, and it suddenly burst in your face? Remember hiding under de bed when ‘mad cow’ and ‘Mother Sally’ coming?

Remember eating a sweet, sweet cook-up with pigtail, salt-beef, tripe, chicken and beef? Remember cutting off a small piece of ham when nobody looking? Remember de excitement yuh feel when barrel come from overseas? Remember children laughing, playing and screaming in delight? Remember Rounders, Catcher and Las-lick?

Remember yuh friend asking you what day it is (26th) and yuh saying “Boxing Day” and you get a box in yuh face?
Remember watching fairy lights blinking on a Christmas tree and feeling giddy with excitement?
Remember having so much different food, that yuh get ‘gainst’ and can’t eat plenty?

Remember churning ice cream in the can with ice and salt? Remember mauby, ginger beer and sorrel drink? Remember almond nuts, cashew nuts and walnuts?
Remember rum, high wine and crème liqueur?

Remember going window shopping and seeing all the Christmas attractions? Remember church bells ringing at midnight on Christmas Eve? Remember bussing carbon bomb in milk tin? Remember going Caroling even though yuh can’t sing? Remember trying fuh eat Pepperpot when it still sleeping?
Remember eating black cake and tasting de rum in it.

Remember not liking yuh neighbour, but being nice to them at Christmas? Remember cobwebbing, washing, sweeping, dusting, polishing and mopping until yuh nearly drop, and wishing it was not Christmas?

Remember thinking about the 12 days of Xmas and wishing there were 24? Remember sponge cake, fruit cake, black cake and icing cake? Remember watching Courts light up and when yuh look down the other end of Main Street it black?

Remember Santa and Rudolph and sleigh? Remember Home Alone 1, 2, 3, and 4? Remember Mariah Carey’s ‘O Holy Night’?

Remember grapes and ice apples?
Remember stealing a hot bake and slipping it into your top pocket and having to walk funny (bent forward) so as not to be detected or get burnt? Remember eating out de local preserved fruits made to put in de cake?
Remember?
Remember?
Oh yeah! I remember!!!
Written By Neil Primus