Miss Kitty reflects on good ole’ days

Describing herself as a 'Christmas person', Khadine 'Miss Kitty' Hylton says this time of year is undoubtedly her favourite. Her face lit up with excitement and the anticipation was evident in her voice as she reminisced on Christmases past.

"I love the sights and smells of Christmas. The breeze blow differently. I don't know if it's because of the baking but it just smells nice. It's just warm and fuzzy, a lot of new things are being bought and it's just a really joyous time. I am a Christmas person," Miss Kitty said.

A vivacious personality, Miss Kitty said that going out on Grand Market night was something she has always enjoyed.

"It's something that my family and I traditionally do. I remember when I was in Grade 7, my family and I went to Grand Market, my dad brought his friends who brought their children and we all went together. We get we likkle money and we buy things. I remember buying starlight and of course yuh affi have KFC pan Grand Market so it's always something that we always do and its always good."

Christmas dinner was well sort

Reflecting on those good ole' days, Miss Kitty said that her mother always went the extra mile to make sure that Christmas dinner was well sort, and that was also a memory etched in her mind.

"What mommy would do is that she would leave ahead of us and go home and start Christmas dinner, so when we would get home, the house would be smelling so good because the cake a bake, the ham (is in the oven) and mommy just a gwaan wid herself," she said.

"And what my mom would always do is that she would wait until we are not there to change the curtains and the bed spread, the bathroom and everything, so when you got home from Grand Market, everything is brand new and everything smells different. I always remember that newness."

"Then in the morning you would get up and get yuh breakfast. Mommy would do like ackee and saltfish and yuh eat and go back go sleep because memba say yuh come in from Grand Market 'bout 4 a.m., so yuh tired. And den yuh wake up and dinner would be ready," she continued.

"And what mommy would do is set up on the verandah. So she would get the table and have the food and everything would come out and so that's always a memory that has stuck with me over the years."

Miss Kitty noted that many things are different this year, because of the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19.

"The fact that Christmas will not be traditional this year is a testament to why we have to let each moment count, because nothing in life is guaranteed," she said.

"That said, I am quite disheartened that obviously you have to be distant from most of your loved ones, which is a side effect of COVID, and Christmas is a time of togetherness, love, community, caring and sharing, but we have life, health and hope, and for that we have to be grateful."