‘Christmas was just another day for me’
She is one of, if not the best female sprinter of all time, but Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce didn’t have the fortune to experience the joy and wonders of Christmas growing up.
What was supposed to be a day of festive celebration was merely another date on the calendar as a child raised in Waterhouse, Kingston.
“Growing up and a part of the community, I never really experienced Christmas. It was just another day for me,” she told THE STAR. The Olympic and World champion recalled not able to afford having a traditional Christmas meal and not able to spend quality time with her mother, who was busy trying to provide for her family.
“I remember once for Christmas dinner I had turn cornmeal. Not that anything is wrong with that but I wanted rice and peas and chicken,” she said. “But my mother couldn’t afford that. I didn’t get any gifts because my mother had to be in the market selling or in Half-Way tree selling. She was just busy. So we never really get to experience like that.”
It is perhaps for that reason why she gets so much pleasure from hosting her annual Pocket Rocket Christmas Treat in the community. The event, now in it’s 12th year, seeks to bring Christmas cheer to the kids; giving them the chance to have positive festive memories of their own. The opportunity for her to deliver the unforgettable Christmas celebrations that she was unable to experience is what gives her the most joy.
“For me to be able to come back and to give the gifts and be part of the community and chill and have food and toys and bags, for me that’s my Christmas. That’s how I love to spend my Christmas,” she said. The 2019 Pocket Rocket Christmas treat will be held on December 26 at the Foska Oval off Spanish Town Road.
Over 500 children will be able to benefit from the treat.
“For me, to bring Christmas here in Waterhouse to the kids and put a smile on their faces is absolutely amazing and definitely unforgettable,” she said.