"The Christmas Breeze"

The weather is now delightful averaging 83 degrees during the day and 73 at night with a wonderful breeze; hence, "The Christmas Breeze". I heard a child singing "jingle bells" walking past my house and that is a somewhat surrealistic experience.  During the last couple of weeks walking down the streets, I hear Christmas music coming from homes, some with no running water and maybe two or three rooms where 6 to 10 people may live.  I have only seen one fake Christmas tree on a veranda and no decorations.  I have learned that for most people in my community there are no gifts exchanged and maybe only a small, inexpensive gift for the children like a ball, coloring book, etc. If  they can afford it, a special meal will be prepared consisting of rice and peas, chicken or fish, curried goat and sorrel ( a drink made from a flower) and a pudding made from yams, potatoes, coconut, spices, brown sugar and then baked into a very dense, heavy cake. I was invited to spend Christmas with a couple who have become my friends, Neville and Jacqueline Gibbs.  I met them when they came by my house on Fridays selling produce from their pickup.  I have been to church with them and to their home for dinner I will join them tomorrow and we will attend "grand market" which is held on Christmas eve in most communities.  As described to me it will be like the state fair x 10(people, noise, junk for sale, dancing in the streets, pushing and shoving) which for me sounds slightly less insufferable than a bad case of the runs with attending projectile vomiting.  However, when in Rome........Then on Sunday, I am sure I am in for a 4 hour worship experience that is loud and enthusiastic from start to finish. I have included some pictures to share some experiences.  The children surrounding me were at the all day 7th Day Adventist service and they were fascinated with my whiteness and hair which they  all had to run their fingers through.  It was a very long day for me and the children were the best part of it.  You will see that I included a picture of the goat butchered in my back yard back in September.  More recently, a pig was slaughtered in the back yard and you can see that I have become more brazen and less squeamish as I walked right up to my neighbor and asked to take his picture with the hog.  There is a picture of my friend Gloria, cooking pigs tail red pea soup for me over her wood fire.  I usually eat with her on Sundays and she is a fabulous cook, a purest who refuses to use  canned or powdered coconut milk but grates her own fresh coconut which is labor intensive but worth it in taste. The remaining pictures are Mr. & Mrs. Gibbs with their truck and produce and more pics of  them and family after church the Sunday that I visited.  They insisted that I sit up front with Mr.Gibbs and handed me a 3 month old baby to hold while the rest of the family climbed into the back of the pickup, Sunday clothes and all, to make the 5 mile trip up into the hills on a road more like a cattle trail. What an adventure! They built their home themselves and it is lovely with a big veranda overlooking the lush tropical hills all around.  I hope to spend time on that veranda over the next few days recuperating from "grand market" and church!  I shall write about my Christmas in Jamaica next week.  I will add that for gifts, I made play dough for my youngest friends which they loved and since I only have one burner to cook on, I made welsh cakes which have been a hit here. For all you readers of this blog,  I wish you a Christmas filled with appreciation and deep gratitude for the amazing blessings in your life.