–persons reflect on the joy, love, hope created by this season

MOST persons have undoubtedly heard about Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’ We read (or maybe watched) how the story unfolded about the mean-spirited and ill-tempered Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by ghosts of his past on Christmas Eve.

When he reawakes on Christmas Day, we see that he is a changed man, a complete opposite of the person he was when he went to bed the night before.
This story was written over 175 years ago, but it is still referenced today as a way of reminding mankind to value people, not things.

It hits home at Christmas especially, because it’s a time for giving, and perhaps, forgiving too.
Some may say the season is commercial, and is for the children, but who’s to say that it’s not for every person who still believes in Christmas.

Asked what this season is about, many see it as a time when people are kinder to each other.
Patricia Lewis, a vendor at the Stabroek Market, Georgetown, shared that this season is a time when families who may not have seen each other for years, visit each other.

In a brief interview with the Guyana Chronicle, she explained that it is the feeling of love that is shared with each person you meet during this time.

Amanda, one of the many shoppers around Georgetown, said, “It’s spending time with my family, enjoying the little things, eating Christmas food and feeling merry and thankful for everything.”

She added that there is a certain excitement that comes at this time of year, when everyone is very busy, and everyone is doing their shopping.
Another shopper, Annie (only name given), said that seeing the town filled with lights brings a different type of joy and hope to your heart.

She expressed: “I love Christmas because it brings people together. It’s different from any other meet up during the rest of the year.”
This joy-filled holiday, it seems, possesses the ability to change hearts and minds of many, through the power of believing and hoping; and while not everyone is able to experience that every year, the few who do, like Ebenezer Scrooge, are changed for the rest of their lives.

This kind of magical transformation can only happen at Christmas. The spirit of this season lies within our hearts. It is all the good things we somehow take for granted every other day of the year.

As we progress throughout today, let us be reminded of the reason for the season, and display all that it stands for: love, kindness, joy, peace, hope, and forgiveness.
May the spirit of Christmas be with you and your family this year!