The following are some excerpts from Christmas reflections shared by Lucille Seymour. Now 81, Seymour has spent a lifetime in public service as an educator, parliamentarian and community leader. She is the current chair of the Council of Older Persons, championing the rights and dignity of Cayman’s elders.
Childhood memories
Growing up in Cayman as a young child, certain things always stood out in my mind – what I would get for Christmas and for my birthday. As June turned around and we gathered back to school, those two things rested heavily on my mind. Every penny I earned from doing errands, selling mangos and almonds, or picking up bottles to sell back went toward those hopes. My salesmanship skills multiplied in six months.
Each morning we backed sand, ensuring our front yards were decked with white sand that looked similar to snow. Walking down by the waterfront, not a car in sight, only people going to work. Walking barefoot on marl roads was no treat either. Sometimes we stopped with a threepence by Mr. Reggie on our way to buy a bun. By 6am we had to be finished, bathed in the outside tub hidden by the trees, dressed for school, and ready for our mothers to plait our hair.
In school, with clean hands, scissors and pencils, we sat about making Christmas cards. I don’t recall too many cards for sale – this was the teacher’s role at Christmas, helping us paint, draw and write cards to all of our family and friends. Our imagination stretched far, since we lacked magazines and TV. We relied on radio stories or letters from relatives abroad to tell us about Christmas artifacts. Those who travelled to Jamaica or Tampa brought back a more comprehensive vision of Christmas decorations.
Cayman’s warm embrace
Christmas week sometimes brought unusually wintry weather, but mornings revealed skies filled with breathtaking colours that exuded the beauty of the tropical paradise we cherish.
This is the Caribbean – home to natural wonders and people who are kind, loving and peaceful. Cayman offers solace and grounding, uniting us as one. Our islands stand strong against hatred, rich in warmth and resilience.
This is my home, small but mighty, tallawah.
O, to have one more jig with Muma
I remember my grandmother Jerusha Bush teaching us the Sir Walter Raleigh jig.
Her fiery spirit, grey hair and tireless legs transformed her as she danced. She reminded us of our Irish heritage, combining reels and jigs with Cayman traditions. Tears streamed down her face as she whispered of my grandfather, the strongest, chocolate-handsome man with twinkling brown eyes.
Her memories became mine, and Christmas in Cayman was filled with heritage, music, and love.
Christmas Eve at Hog Sty Bay
I miss the walking to town on Christmas Eve when all Caymanians gathered. The children bought presents and fired firecrackers. The waterfront at Hog Sty Bay was where we gathered, as most of the stores lined up with a few lights and bustling crowds.
Everyone went down to town and celebrated Christmas Eve. Then, just before midnight, we hustled to the churches on the bay and worshipped as Christmas Day entered.
This was a great way to end our celebrations – thanking God for His Son who came to guide us, and thanking Him for allowing us to live in a wonderful land. I miss the town at Hog Sty Bay. It gave us a chance to reunite and share good tidings.
Modern Cayman Christmas
As older persons, we have lived through the passage of time and modernity. Globalisation has brought bright lights, adorned gardens and beautifully decorated business places. Carol singing continues, though less lively than the daytime marching and beating of drums we once knew.
Electricity and infrastructure allow homes to shine with festive beauty, and streets glow with comfort and visibility. Children enjoy Santa sleigh rides, photo opportunities and store-bought gifts – things we only dreamed of.
Older persons now benefit from organised lunches, dances and benevolent visits from service clubs. We can buy gifts for grandchildren, ride buses or cars to see magnificent trees, and enjoy comforts we never had.
Yet all these niceties pale in comparison to the warmth of humanity, love and kindness in the olden days. We were more neighbourly, more giving and more caring. Poverty meant lacking money, but not food or compassion.
The government’s Santa treats to older persons shine light in their path, as the Christmas bonus allows seniors to buy gifts for their helpers and family, and to give a special offering in church.
I cannot forget the change of weather that comes with Christmas time. Sometimes there are Northwesters that give a wintry feeling, and all of us go back and look for much heavier clothing to keep us warm.
For those of us in our late 70s and 80s, Christmas is connoted by the smell of fruits and the baking of fruit cakes. And we cannot forget that in our youth, meat was only eaten at Christmas.
Nostalgia of the shore
Walking to the boardwalk, I feel the spirit of Christmas. The moon wrapped in clouds, the cool breeze and the rising sun remind me of early mornings when we backed sand to mimic snow.
We must thank our older persons for guiding us into a new Christmas.
Thank you, old Cayman.
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