FOR most people, Christmas is a big deal and they would do things they haven’t done all year just to usher in this festive season, when they ensure that there is enough to eat, drink and even some to share with family, friends and neighbours. The same can be said for Shaun George.

He is a resident of Block 22 Wismar and that day when the team visited, he was preparing a pig for the holidays.

Annually, it is his way of celebrating the season by buying a pig and rearing it for months until December, when he would use that meat for his pepperpot, curry, barbeque and would sell off some of the pork to his relatives only.

George told the Pepperpot Magazine that in May, he purchased the pig and wanted to do some ham,as he would every other year, but this time around, the time was too short for that.

It was also too late for some garlic pork, which takes 21 days to cure, so this year he will just have to be contented with pork curry, roast pork, barbeque pork and some pork pepperpot, he said.

George was in the process of scraping all the hairs off the pig after he had doused it with hot water and he had help. It is a process that takes a few hours and the right expertise.

“This pig I assume will give me about 200 pounds of meat, which is too much for me and my family, so I will sell some and use the rest for the holidays,” he said.

George is self-employed and he rears meat birds and layers and would also sell the eggs he collects twice daily.

Trevlon Blair, the utility operator/auto electrician
Also in the village is the home of Trevlon Blair, a utility operator and auto electrician, who resides in a cute little cottage on a hill.

The 29-year-old stated that he has been living there for the past 10 years after his grandmother went to live with her sister and finds life in the village to be very quiet and tranquil.

The father of two related that he was doing some cleaning for the holidays before he goes to work.

Blair reported that living on a hill in a hideout is nice, because he is by himself and his neighbours are not nosy people and things are really as it should be.

His house is tucked away through a narrow track on a hill which overlooks vast villages and valleys.

Gloria Craig, the homemaker
One of his neighbours is Gloria Craig, who resides on another hill several yards away and she was engaged in re-painting some household furniture and doing chores.

The 58-year-old told the Pepperpot Magazine that she worked in the city and returned home only recently.

The mother of one pointed out that life there is good because the place is nice and the area is quiet and safe.

Her yard is fenced and it is one of the cleanest and well-kept and she also has a variety of plants and flowers.

Craig would use plants and herbs from the environment to make ‘bush tea’ and other homemade remedies for illnesses.

“I am cleaning in preparation for the holidays. I always like Christmas, so it is a big thing for me and I would ensure the table has black cake, Pepperpot and some ham,” she said.

Craig is from Dartmouth, Essequibo Coast, but grew up in Half Mile, Wismar, Linden, and is from mixed-race origin; her mother is Indigenous.

She and her husband live comfortably in their modest house which is set high on a hill and they have a few neighbours, not many, and they seem to like their life there.

Craig told the Pepperpot Magazine that her mother was a ‘bush tea’ specialist and she learned a few things from her. She passed away 15 years ago and she has four sisters, since her two brothers have since passed on.

“I don’t really socialise a lot, or mix up, because I want peace and quiet in my life and I am always doing something in and around the house, so life is busy for me,” she said.

Craig was in high spirits and she was playing some Christmas songs that day.

Velita Trotman
Velita Trotman is also a villager and a housewife, who was doing some household cleaning for the upcoming holidays.

She had already decorated the outside of her two-storey house and was ensuring the inside is clean before other decorations are outfitted.

Trotman has been living there for the past 10 years, her house is on the main access road and it is a huge structure.

She is originally from Canvas City and a mother of three.

“Christmas here does be nice, everybody does come out and enjoy each other’s company and cook and share whatever they have in their pots and it does be indeed a merry time,” she said.

Trotman stated that she likes it because it is safe in those parts and the people know each other.