Merry Christmas to all

This Christmas, in spite of all the challenges you may have faced and are still facing this year, use this Christmas to truly celebrate the simpler things in life that bring you joy.{{more}}

Each trip home this year confirmed to me over and over again that we, as Vincentians, are kind people. We know how to make others feel at home, and we will go above and beyond to help our friends, neighbours, and even total strangers. That in itself is the true Christmas spirit.

We value family. We spend the time to push our children to do better in school, and we provide whatever they need in the name of education, even if it means going without just to ensure the children are afforded a better opportunity than we had. Spending time on the beach, going to church, and even playing mas together are just some of the ways Vincentians continue to build strong family units.

People say that if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, but I want to dispute that. If you can make it in St Vincent and the Grenadines, you can definitely make it anywhere. SVG challenges you to learn how to be creative, deal with different personalities, think out of the box and adapt to change quickly. The mere size of the island makes it even more difficult as you see the same people daily. This makes Vincentians a resilient people, a quality that is needed above all else to be successful.

We have mastered work-life balance. The weekend truly is a weekend, and the mere atmosphere changes as soon as Friday arrives. Friday means time to push work aside and disconnect from the stresses of producing. It’s time to relax.

And finally, the simple act of being able to worship, start business meetings with a prayer, and be free to say Merry Christmas and use the name of Jesus without political or professional backlash is a blessing.

This Christmas, I say thank you for the simpler things in life that bring me great joy. I say thank you to St Vincent and the Grenadines for carrying the Christmas spirit throughout the year. On behalf of my husband and son, I say Merry Christmas to all!