No sweat for guard working on Christmas Day
Christmas is three days away, and while most persons will be with their families enjoying all the festivities, there are some Jamaicans whose services require them to be elsewhere, away from such happenings.
One such individual, Opal Cockburn, a security guard with the Guardsman Group, will be spending her third consecutive Christmas Day on the job.
She told THE STAR that when others are busy slicing hams and putting cakes in the oven for Christmas, working in her capacity has become a norm.
“I’m single. I don’t have any of my children around me, so I will work. This year will be my third straight Christmas,” Cockburn said.
She is attached to a leading university, and told THE STAR what the atmosphere is working on Christmas Day. “It’s very relaxed. Students have gone home and the place is closed and nobody really coming in. You still have to look out because you don’t know what can happen when the place is quiet,” Cockburn said. When asked if it was the bonus (double pay) that attracted her to be willing to work on Christmas Day, she said it was not necessarily so. “We get double time like any other holiday. It’s the only little like
Greetings during Christmas time have a significant meaning. According to communication specialist Fae Ellington, it is a cultural thing.
She said, “It is something that I have observed for 40 years that have served an important purpose.”
Ellington added t hat t hese greetings played an even bigger role before persons had access t o social media and t ext messaging.
“You would think that it would have died down with the new era. It says, ‘See mi nuh figet my relatives a yard or abroad’. It’s part of connecting with family and friends,” Ellington said.
GOOD WISHES
Since it is customary for Jamaicans to send greetings to their loved ones and friends, THE STAR took to the streets of the Corporate Area to hear some of these holiday good wishes. The persons sending greetings were far from shy, and they were more than excited to send sweet words for persons in Jamaica, the United States, and Canada.
You can watch this video by visiting jamaica-star.com or visit the Jamaica STAR Online page on YouTube. incentive we get because we don’t really have anything else getting,” she added.
Cockburn also made it clear that she does not hold a grudge against those who will be at home preparing and slicing hams.
“I’m not jealous of it (ham eating) because I’m a Seventh-day Adventist and I don’t eat pork. I have never seen my parents cook pork and give me,” she joked.