By Tuesday of this week the evidence on downtown Regent Street pointed to the non-arrival, up until now of what we in Guyana describe as the Christmas spirit.’ Part of it is usually manifested in the jousting for space on the pavement between shoppers and vendors, each group animated in their separate preoccupations – .with shopping and vending, respectfully. By Tuesday, too, the carols were not yet blaring from the music sets inside the stores and the impossible sea of humans that comprise the crush that becomes a haven for pickpockets had not yet built up its full head of steam.
There was, however, unmistakable evidence of things to come, manifested in what we in Guyana call ‘window shopping,’ a system comprising a mix of checking out the stores and pricing the desired item in anticipation of another excursion into the city, perhaps next week to pursue the Christmas shopping in earnest.
