Christmas is my favourite holiday. It’s hot all year round in Jamaica, but this time of year is the coolest as trade winds from up North blow across the Greater Antilles and give us a slight taste of winter. The beautiful scarlet red poinsettias are in full bloom, and all my favourite foods are cooked and sold in abundance. The religious significance of the holiday is not lost on me either. I was raised with a Christian background, and live my life guided by these principles. Thus, it’s important that Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and saviour. With that said, here are eight reasons why Christmas in Jamaica is my favourite holiday.
1. Poinsettias are in full bloom. I haven’t managed to keep any alive outside of Christmas, but this doesn’t stop me from purchasing one each year and admiring them in shops and gardens across the island.
2. Jamaican Christmas dishes are readily available. These include baked hams, fruit cake, sorrel drink and egg nog. One can also enjoy the seasonal ice cream flavours of sorrel and egg nog from Devon House, an internationally renowned ice cream store in Jamaica.
3. The weather is a lot cooler, and in the hills– we get a lovely mist some evenings. The cooler breeze at Christmas time is called Christmas breeze in Jamaica.
4. Schools and some businesses break for the holiday period, which means less peak hour traffic.
5. I ADORE Christmas decorations, especially Christmas trees and lights. These can be a pain to put up and take down each year, as well as expensive to maintain given our high electricity bills in Jamaica, but I admire all the homes and businesses which go all out with their festive decor.
6. Gifts! We have a Christmas gift giving tradition in my family, and I enjoy giving thoughtful gifts as much as receiving. Gifts aren’t my love language, but it’s always great to feel appreciated. Meaningful gifts remind me that I’m loved and appreciated by my friends and family.
7. I love Christmas carols. Check out these interesting Jamaican Christmas songs.
“We doe have no snow, we doe have no sleigh. But fun we do have, in Christmas J.A.”
Neville Willoughby, Christmas in J.A.
8. I look forward to family and friend gettogethers. We’re always so busy during the year, but life seems to move slower at Christmas and I love it!
Read next: Christmas Holiday in Jamaica and Easter in Jamaica.
Wrap Up
These fun writing prompts allow me to escape my stress and responsibilities– at least temporarily, ha. Engagement from my Adventures from Elle WordPress family is the favourite part of writing for me. I’m very proud of this space and it helps me mentally more than you know. If you consider the WordPress Reader a form of social media since it allows one to interact with and make friends from all over the world, I guess I can call WordPress the most positive social media platform and community which exists on the Internet. Even if professional bloggers and copywriters are replaced by AI over time, there will always be room for personal blogging. Long live blogging– the people who write blogs and the people who read them!
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