Christmas Magic

by Diana
(London/St. Michael)

Christmas as a child growing up in Barbados was my absolute favourite time!

Especially so too because my birthday is the 26th of December, so double excitement for me. There was no chance of me sleeping on Christmas eve.

The excitement and buzz was just too great.It was truly magical to me. Besides I felt that if I slept, I may miss something.

For the longest time the smell of fresh paint would take me back to my childhood Christmases, as my parents would find money to paint if not both the inside and outside of the house, at least the outside. And remember congoleum? (lino).

That too would take me back to those memories when I smelt it in the stores years later.

One Christmas eve, for some mad reason after helping beat the cake mixture, grate coconut for the coconut cake, and other pre-Christmas chores, my friend and I got on her bike, I rode on the back standing up, to Brandon's beach from Grazettes.

We did not tell our parents. I think the excitement went to our head. We stayed there for several hours until common sense kicked in.

We thought we would really get a beating for being out so late. But because we were only missed for half that time we spent on the beach, we were let off because it was Christmas.

Thank you magic Christmas, or it would have been a sore backside for both Christmas and my birthday!