BY NUR FARIHAN RAZALI
MUKAH: Residents in several villages here are not in a hurry to prepare for Christmas Day.
A survey conducted by Suara Sarawak found that residents have yet to make thorough preparations even though Christmas will be celebrated more than two weeks from now.
According to Dafni Casie Dick, 26, they usually make preparations in the third week before Christmas.
“This is because, during that week, the ‘carolling’ activity starts and we will decorate the chapel in the village.
“Usually, my family and I choose to make preparation for the house at the last minute due to time constraints due to work.
“As for the preparation for Christmas this time, it is quite challenging with the increase in the price of goods in the market and because of that, preparation for the celebration this time is done in a simple way,” she told Suara Sarawak.
She said, Christmas this time has a difference because her aunt has died and in her village six people also passed away this year.
“However, Christmas needs to be celebrated to strengthen the bond between family, relatives and friends even though it is marked in a simple way.
“The true joy of this celebration lies in the sense of appreciating the meaning of Christmas and not measured by its worldly merriment,” she explained.
For Celestia Rostel, 24, preparations for the Christmas celebration this time will be done a week before the festivity because she wants to welcome the ‘carolling’ from the youth in the village.
“While, in the face of the challenging economy now, we reuse decorative items from previous years if they are still good and don’t have to worry about buying new ones.
“I’m also lucky to have siblings who never hesitate to share buying food as a treat for relatives and friends during Christmas,” she said.
However, she said, Christmas this year has a difference compared to previous years because of the loss of a loved one.
“However, Christmas must proceed because with this celebration, I can still feel their presence celebrating together with us.
“I also hope that more open houses at Christmas this year like it was celebrated before the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added.
Meanwhile, Damian Cornelius Laberi, 50, said that this Christmas is being celebrated with enthusiasm considering that before the celebration was observed during the COVID-19 epidemic.
“In the current challenging economic situation, we observe it in moderation but still attach great importance to the excitement of this celebration.
“This time too, I hope that this festival will be more lively because we can meet and gather with relatives, friends and even the villagers,” he said.
Damian added, he hoped that this year’s Christmas celebration would be celebrated in a peaceful atmosphere.
For Charlyne Neve Henderi, 24, the current economic situation is quite challenging but with the aid of eMadani e-cash credit given by the government recently, it could ease the burden in buying goods.
“I am grateful that the aid can be used to buy Christmas items because this time, the items sold in the supermarket are quite lively compared to last year.
“To prepare for the celebration, usually my family and I will start doing it two weeks before Christmas so that the house is spick and span because many guests will be visiting later.
“This time, Christmas will be more lively because during the Christmas Festival which is celebrated by the plural community in the Mukah area at the beginning of December, it is well received and, of course, it will be more lively during the actual Christmas Day,” she explained.
Interestingly, this year, the Mukah Parliamentary Service Centre has prepared seven Christmas trees at Pehin Setia Raja Square to enliven the atmosphere of the Christmas celebration here.
Not only that, all the lights on the trees decorated with various ornaments will be lit throughout the month of December.
Therefore, people around Mukah have the opportunity to take pictures by the trees.
