Carla Thomas’ words could not be more appropriate. There are six more shopping days before Christmas, that includes Sunday which is now a shopping day during the Christmas season. The season of good cheer comes at an opportune time after the bitter/sweet contest. We can now in keeping with the spirit of Christmas put away our differences and think about others, especially the less fortunate.{{more}} The Salvation Army’s kettles are awaiting you in the city of Kingstown and I guess there are other charitable organizations wanting you to contribute so that they can help others to have an enjoyable Christmas. Do not forget to contribute to a worthy cause. They feed the hungry and clothe the naked, so do not hesitate since you have a little bit more than others you can extend a helping hand.

Last week I raised the issue of using dry and fresh flowers instead of artificial flowers. You might be afraid of cut flowers in water for fear of mosquitoes, but you can put a little bit of oil so it forms a film to prevent mosquito’s eggs from developing or you can simply use wet floral foam (oasis). In that way you would not have surplus water. Some claim that a little plain aspirin or lemon juice or Listerine, because of their acidity, would help the flowers to absorb more water and a bit of copper (a nail or the old one cent) will kill the bacteria. You have to make sure there are no rotten leaves in the water. Change the water every two days. In this way the life of the flowers is extended. So you can enjoy not only the beauty, but the fragrance of fresh flowers.

So you want to spend as little as possible, but still enjoy Christmas? I guess you bought or you are using the Christmas lights from last year. My advice is to go easy on the electricity. The extra electricity that you use would go towards building up the fuel surcharge. The more electricity you use, the higher will be the surcharge for everyone. Those people who do not use Christmas lights will be paying for those who use. I do not want to dampen your Christmas, but you have to be realistic. Remember to go around the house and make sure that switches with red lights are turned off when not in use; check the rubber on the door of your refrigerator to make sure it is not faulty, as this could drive up your bill. Every penny counts, so take care of the pennies and the dollars would look after themselves.

Now for the food and the drinks – rice and green peas, ham, turkey, black cake, ginger beer, sorrel and all the other goodies. Yes, enjoy them all, but do not overeat or you would have to deal with the weight after Christmas. It is easy to put on the weight but harder and more expensive to throw it off. Alcohol is usually aplenty. Use some restraint, do not overindulge.

I am certain you know someone in your community who cannot afford or who is unable to cook Christmas lunch. Let your generosity extend to that person on Christmas day. Enjoy the Christmas! Happy holidays everyone!

Ada Johnson is a solicitor and barrister-at-law.

E-mail address is: exploringthelaw@yahoo.com