'Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la … la la la la
We mostly celebrate with family
Fa la la la la … la la la la
It is the time of year where family is celebrated now more than ever. This happens in many ways; each family has its own tradition.
Back home in St. Lucia, we don’t only celebrate with family, we also celebrate with close friends. Our Christmas celebration starts before Christmas even comes around.
We partake in what is called “house-to-house.” This may be more or less self-explanatory, but we travel from house to house visiting different friends and family where we eat, drink and dance.
This event starts around lunchtime and goes until we visit the last house for the day. At that point, everyone is tired. There is no official start date per se; the whole thing is communicated via word of mouth.
However, house-to-house has been going on for so long with my parents’ friends that everyone has their own specific day to host. The host provides the food, drinks and music for the festivities.
These visits flow all the way into the new year, which is when my family hosts.
Just like most people, Christmas day is for the immediate family. We have lunch and open our presents and after that is done, we go over to other family houses for more gift-exchanges.
Arthur Angles, a freshman from France, celebrates by having dinner with his direct family on Christmas Eve and then lunch on Christmas day with the extended family, where they open presents.
Karlo Skvorc, a senior from Croatia, celebrates by having dinner on Christmas Eve before going to his grandparents’ house for their second feast with other family members. Then they play games until the clock hits 12. On Christmas day, he visits other family members before heading out to party with his friends.
Cody Hermanson, a senior from California, starts off his celebration by opening presents in his pajamas with his direct family. They proceed to take a few Christmas pictures then head out for dinner with extended family.
Compared to everyone else’s celebration, I have come to the realization that Caribbean people like to party and will find any excuse to have a party. However, as I said in the beginning, it’s almost always a family affair.
Embrace these moments! Do not let social media enjoy them for you! We are living in a generation where we try to capture the moment with our phones so much that we don’t get a chance to take it all in in real-time.
So my advice to you for the Christmas season is to live for the moment. Yes, it is nice to capture the moment for future reference, but enjoy it while it’s happening, as well!