I can’t remember exactly when it happened but at some point in the transition between childhood and ‘aDulTh0od’, the magic of Christmas gets lost. Going to bed early so it could be the next day already, yet being too excited to actually sleep. Seeing the presents mounting up under the tree, (I was never told about Santa). Getting ready to sit down and have a belly full of food without having to lift a finger. Somewhere along the line, all that disappears and you’re left with being cold, stressed and broke. 

This year though, it’s as if I got to relive the magic of a childhood Christmas. Weight restrictions on suitcases meant presents were kept to a minimum, we had already decided we were going to have our Christmas dinner cooked by somebody else and, the most exciting part? We got to spend Christmas with my Grandparents in their home in Nevis! 

The day started with pancakes, tea and a good ol’ gossip about everything and anything. My Mum and Grandma are not great at communicating with one another, so often what starts out as a regular conversation, descends into bickering or a full blown argument. There was none of that on Christmas Day though which I was very thankful for. 

Mum and I got ready to head to my favourite beach, Oualie Beach, because are you really spending Christmas in the Caribbean if you don’t go to the beach? The Grandparents weren’t feeling up to it so we spent about an hour or so dipping, drinking and sunbathing. We had the place almost entirely to ourselves with just the myriad of moored boats for company. 

When we got back to the house, it was my turn to chef up our late brunch. Scrambled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, baked beans, plantain and some incinerated toast was on the menu…

… which, (surprisingly), went down well. We chatted, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. After clearing away, it was time to open the one gift each we had brought over for one another. The excitement of that was soon over, so everyone dispersed to take naps or have some quiet time before getting ready for dinner.

We had decided from the jump that we were going to go out to eat for Christmas Day dinner. We enquired about menus and cost at various restaurants and hotels across the island, eventually deciding on The Hermitage.

The atmosphere was lush with fairy lights in the arches and candles on each table. It felt relaxed and unstuffy with old time christmas songs playing softly in the background. Soon, the dining verandah was filled with people laughing and chatting and having a good time. Dinner was a buffet of a traditional turkey and ham dinner with hella veggie friendly sides such as butternut squash in Nevisian honey and cinnamon, roasted carrots in nutmeg and herb & garlic roasties. All this was washed down with sorrel and rum punch. Everyone at The Hermitage was super friendly, from the other guests, to the waitresses and even the manager who came around each table to check everyone was okay: he even remembered that my Mum and I were vegetarians!

This Christmas was so super special for my family and I. I feel so grateful that I have a family, I have Grandparents that are alive and well, I have a beautiful island that I get to call home and the negative Covid test to come back here. By the end of Christmas Day my heart, (and belly), was full.