Caribbean Christmas

Christmas is very different when one is thousands of miles away from close family and in an environment that doesn't seem that 'Christmassy' - like Jamaica. 

We had two Christmases in the Caribbean, and they were very different. The celebration for the first was out on the patch of very rough lawn in front of Excelsior College's four teaching staff houses, where we occupied number 1. Those there with us were Keith, his wife Diane, two daughters (in pink), and son (pointing the gun) who had #2, Rick and Irene and their children Christian and Rachel who had #3, and Ian and Cherry with their son Mark who were in #4; and we were joined by a colleague, Bob, and his Puerto Rican wife Cynthia.

We moved tables out onto the 'lawn', cooked contributions towards the feast and, as the light failed, watched a hired film, 'The Count of Monte Christo', which we projected using the school's projector two or three times in order to get our moneysworth.

The second Christmas was very different, spent in a house which was part of a holiday complex where Princess Margaret had stayed during her honeymoon. While we cooked a proper Christmas meal, the emphasis of the holiday was....

....beside the pool with its....

....views out across the Caribbean Sea.

Once again we were with friends, Sandy and Steve, who had a son, Luke (seen on the right here with our daughter Elizabeth).

Somehow the day didn't seem much like Christmas, and we missed being with our close family, but who would swap this for a grey British Christmas?