Christmas Bajan Style

25 December 2021

Barbados is closed for three days as the Bajans celebrate Christmas; that is apart from the tourist hotels and outlets which serve them as they are a 24/7 operation. Even the ice cream vans with their annoying jingle which never seems to change have ceased to ply their daily trade thank goodness.

Barbados is a nation of churchgoers but we decided not to attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve or the morning Christmas service today. Covid is readily transmissible in the churches here as congregations enjoy lustily singing their hymns and gospels.

Pockets of the island are ablaze with Christmas decorations and lights including some of the churches. Many homes have external Christmas decorations with cacti substituted for fir trees.

We decided to begin our Christmas Day with a visit to the Colony Club beach on the west coast, our favourite, have a coffee in the five-star Coral Reef hotel followed by a swim in the sea and a lie back under some palm trees.

Unlike previous visits when the beach and the hotels were empty, they were full of tourists sunning themselves, swimming, sailing Hobie cats and water skiing. The hotels must be delighted with the uptake in tourist traffic and associated income. Luckily there is enough space to be able to find a quiet piece of sand and sea.

The water was calm, clear and around 26 degrees; perfect. Much like natural baths found in spa resorts many locals believe the Caribbean Sea has healing properties. Perhaps it’s all in the mind but I am ready to take that on board as I always feel better after an extended dip.

Curfew was suspended on Christmas Eve which allowed Bajans to visit restaurants, bars, their friends and party all night which may partly explain why the island appeared empty as we drove across it today. Few cars on the road and no one in sight. Maybe they were nursing hangovers or were all inside getting ready to tuck into roast turkey, ham and all the trimmings.

I am fully expecting a surge in Covid cases in one to two weeks’ time as families and friends have been congregating but the government is being realistic and will cope with whatever arises. Unlike many countries, we are fortunate that life continues pretty much as normal here apart from mask-wearing and the nightly curfew between midnight and 5.00 am.

Being a small island on the Eastern edge of the Caribbean has its advantages as one can only get here by air and those who embark on a flight here have to have a negative PCR test. As a result, Omicron has yet to reach our shores. Though no doubt it will arrive at some point.

It’s the best time of year weatherwise too. The sun shines but daytime temperatures are around 27 degrees falling to 22/23 at night. And it's not so humid; a marked contrast to the hot summer months. This slight shift in climate is also noticeable in the fauna and flora as deciduous trees have shed leaves and evergreens look a lot less luxuriant. Even the monkeys have disappeared perhaps holed up in their jungle domains enjoying a Christmas diet of bananas that grow plentifully here in the wild.

Well, it’s cocktail hour so time to open some bubbly and finish preparing the Christmas roast for this evening’s Christmas dinner; lamb for a change.