The first ham, Gangnam Santa and an Egyptian Christmas

- remembering Christmases past and the best days of their lives

By Erica Williams and Desilon Daniels

All Addis wants for Christmas is a taste of ham.

Mr. Dash’s second best Christmas was spent in Egypt in the uniform of a British soldier. And last Christmas, Santa came dancing to Joshua House, Gangnam style.

While Christmas Day for many Guyanese involves opening presents and eating their favourite meals, the flavours in orphanages and old folk’s homes are a little different but, at the same time, familiar. Children dream that their wishes will be granted and the older folks reminisce on the good old days.

Leonard Gairy poses for the camera.
Leonard Gairy poses for the camera.

Stabroek News visited a few orphanages and Old Folks Homes to hear what the children and elderly persons are expecting for the holidays and also to share their past Christmas experiences.

At the St John Bosco Orphanage at Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, five excited young boys held nothing back. In November, the orphanage had encouraged the boys to create wish lists for Santa.

Thirteen-year-old Stefan explained that what he wants is a watch as well as Life – a board game, for Christmas. The boy, who said that he is an avid lover of fairy tales, had already received a few gifts from Republic Bank. The bank, according to Sister Julie Matthews of the orphanage, visited and held a concert for the children. Gifts had also been shared out to the boys. An excited Stefan, who took part in the concert, is waiting patiently for Christmas morning to open his presents.

Another boy, Jamal, 11, stated that what he wants more than anything is a remote-controlled car. After some thought, he added a pair of slippers to the list. Behind him, 12-year-old Addis stood eagerly waiting for his turn to speak.

Addis, who wants a brick game under the Christmas tree, said that he is most excited for the food associated with the season. Among Addis’s favourite Christmas foods are grapes and pepperpot. The boy also said that he has never eaten ham and was looking forward to doing so this year.

The younger boys also told Stabroek News about their expectations for Christmas. Nine-year-old Alex and Anil, 6, shyly shared that they wish for a remote controlled car and a cricket ball, respectively. Anil, who has some trouble with speech, said through hand gestures that his favourite part of Christmas was the sound of ringing bells.

The conversation was not just about gifts, however. In a remarkable show of wisdom, their answers to the question, “what is the reason for the season?” included the birth of Jesus Christ, spreading joy and happiness, and spending time with loved ones.

Over at the Shaheed Boys & Girls Orphanage, Stabroek News ran into a group of intelligent youngsters who were well-educated on technology and eager to share what was on their Christmas wish lists.

Lloyd De Freitas wears his veteran’s broach.
Lloyd De Freitas wears his veteran’s broach.

Even though the orphanage’s foundation is laid on Islam, Christmas is still celebrated within the orphanage’s Lot 157 Alexander Street walls. Eleven-year-old Errol said that what he wants for Christmas is a music system. The boy, who said he enjoys the preparations for Christmas, wants the music system to listen to Indian and Islamic songs.

Ten-year-old Krishna shared that he wanted a PSP. His favourite parts of the holiday are the decorations and the parties, he said. According to the boy, Christmas is an exciting day and is the best day of his life. When asked about Christmas last year, the Home Alone movies lover said that it had not been a good one because two days after he received his toy, it broke.

Other boys at the orphanage shared similar tastes with Errol and wished for items such as a tablet with an earpiece (14-year-old Randolph), a remote controlled car (11-year old-Saif), a handheld racing game (13-year-old Justin), and a gun set (11-year-old Kenrick).

After the holiday festivities are over, the boys at the Shaheed Boys & Girls Orphanage come together and help clean up the home, the boys related. Even though they did not understand the deeper meaning

Excited for Christmas! (front to back, L to R) Anil, Alex, Stefan, Jamal and Addis, all of the St John Bosco Orphanage, pose for a photo after speaking with Stabroek News.
Excited for Christmas! (front to back, L to R) Anil, Alex, Stefan, Jamal and Addis, all of the St John Bosco Orphanage, pose for a photo after speaking with Stabroek News.

behind Christmas, they nevertheless possessed the excitement that most children share for the holiday.

Over at Joshua House, a skating board was among the most desired Christmas gifts with 11 little boys and girls, among them, Raj Kumar, Joshua Persaud and Rohit Lowtan requesting that for a Christmas present. Bounding around excitedly, 12-year-old Nickesie Williams said she wished for a doll set. She said that she could envision herself playing with her dolls along with her friends.

Nikita Johnson, who said that she always dreamt of receiving a PSP game for Christmas, anxiously waited to express her desires for a pleasant and memorable Christmas. It was at this point that 11-year-old Shanti Archer shouted “me to, me too! I want that too.” She too wishes for a PSP game for Christmas. Archer said that she thinks that the PSP game is the “coolest” there is to play with.

On the more mature side, 15-year-old Petal Calvan said she would like to have “Kiss Me” perfume set along with a bicycle, bright and early on Christmas morning. While she adored dolls as a child, Calvan said she wants to smell sweet.

Children of Joshua Home
Children of Joshua Home

When asked about their most memorable Christmas experience at Joshua House, Calvan took the stand. She said that last Christmas was one of the best Christmas experiences she has ever had. “Scotia Bank came and they had Santa dancing Gangnam Style, we had fun and we dance up,” she recounted.

The elated children said that they received gifts and sung Christmas carols and everyone received Santa hats as well.

 Matter of fact

Meanwhile, at the old folks home, residents of Uncle Eddie’s were very matter-of-fact about Christmas.

Leonard Knobs Gairy, 77 said he has been living at the home for two months. He added that while he enjoys Christmas, he is not too optimistic this year since he prefers to live by himself. Gairy, a father of ten, said that he has had many special and enjoyable Christmases in his lifetime. “Last year I was cooking and doing everything for myself so I bought all that I wanted to eat and I cooked. I lived alone but I enjoyed Christmas last year,” Gairy said.

Frank Boston, 71, expressed his love for playing the mouth organ. He said that as a little boy, he would walk the streets and make music. Boston said that playing the mouth organ was a tradition in his family and along with this, it was tradition for his mother to bake cake while his father brought home the ham. As his reminisced on the past, he added “this is the first time in years Christmas looks like it gonna be a lil bright for me.”

When asked why he had become sad, Boston related that he started working at the age of 15 at “Lithographic” a printing company that printed lottery tickets. He recounted that while the company hosted staff parties at Christmastime, because he worked so much, he never really got the opportunity to get sucked into the spirit, excitement and zest of the season. When asked what he would like for Christmas, Boston said “gifts is fine for me, but what I really want is a good Christmas party here like back in the days.”

Lloyd De Freitas, 89, a retired veteran who fought in the 1939-1945 world war, made it a point to state his nickname – Mr Dash – which he said has been in his family for generations. De Freitas has been a resident of the Uncle Eddie’s Home for seven years and says he is loving it. He said that after the death of his first wife in 1984, since he had no knowledge of how the kitchen works, he was forced to find a wife very quickly. His second wife, De Freitas said, died in 2005.

“Things suddenly became difficult because I couldn’t cook so a year later I moved in here [Uncle Eddie’s Home) because I didn’t want another wife and didn’t want to be alone,” De Freitas related. His best Christmas, De Freitas said, was back in 1950 when his first child was born. The second best, he said, was the Christmas he spent in Egypt as a soldier with the British army.

For this Christmas, the man said that while a gift will be much appreciated, he plans to attend church and spend the rest of the day quietly.

The only couple at Uncle Eddie’s Home, Pearly and David Balram, have been married for 66 years. The couple was sitting at the dining table conversing with each other and Pearly, 81 and David, 89, related that they had been living at the home for two months.

The couple said that their best Christmas was the one they spent a few years ago with their daughters and grandchildren in the United States of America. Pearly said that she and her husband enjoyed travelling and spending time with family but with a frown on her face, she added that because of declined health, they can no longer travel.

They said that they are not looking forward for any material gifts for Christmas and are very excited to travel to Courbane Park, East Coast Demerara, to spend Christmas with their only daughter and her family who remain in Guyana.

The Uncle Eddie’s Home is open to persons age 60 and older and residents are allowed to stay as long as they wish. However, a monthly fee of $32,000 per room is required but in the event that a room is shared, the fee becomes $27,000 monthly. All fees include meals, laundry and elderly care.

To make any contribution to the orphanages, St John Bosco can be contacted at 222-2364  while contact can be made with the Shaheed Boys & Girls Orphanage at 226-9620. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help to brighten the children’s Christmas.