The Private Christmas Tales of some influential public figures

Dec 25, 2015 News

---

By Mondale Smith

Public figures are often seen in a different light as officials of authority on issues of importance to the nation, but they also have private lives which include holiday observances. This year Kaieteur News caught up with some of these officials and dug into their private lives to get the Christmas scoop.  

****************

U.S. AMBASSADOR, PERRY HOLLOWAY

The life of an ambassador is mostly public, spent straddling the walls of international diplomacy, yet US Ambassador to Guyana Perry Holloway still has time for Christmas.

As part of the US Embassy’s Christmas plans, abused women were given some special attention as Christmas cheer was spread through a visit to a shelter for victims of domestic violence. The Christmas package included a party, distribution of clothing as well as other personal effects, along with toys for their children.
On a more personal note, this year while Ambassador Holloway, who has been three months on the job, will not be in his native United States, his Christmas will be away from home but very much in the company of family, which includes his wife Rasouda, a US Citizen, who hails from Colombia.

KN: What does Christmas mean to you?

Ambassador: For me Christmas is all about getting together with family , a time for reflection upon what occurred in this year and a little bit of planning on what you are going to be doing in the new year.

KN: Will Ambassador Holloway be home for Christmas?

Ambassador: No, I wouldn’t be home for Christmas this year, but I always argue that home is where your family is, and all my family is converging on my wife’s original home in Colombia, South America. My children will be coming from the US and we will be converging there to visit my wife’s family, so I will be with one half of my family for Christmas.
In this modern age, especially in the United States, very few people still live in the town where they grew up, because we are constantly moving and changing jobs, so to me home is where my family is.

KN: What does your family do for Christmas?

Ambassador: In the United States it varies, but in my family we celebrate Christmas on Christmas day while some families celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. We wake up very early and my children, even though they are adults now, still get excited to open the gifts that they get, then we have a very, very big lunch/dinner in the afternoon, normally with turkey and ham… that is similar to Thanksgiving, but not quite as big. Then we watch American Football, or Basketball, because there is often a game on TV… and just enjoy the family time.

Can you recall the excitement of Santa Claus?

Ambassador: Well actually I recall almost all Christmases when my children were excited about Santa Claus, until they got older. I have never done the dress-up-like-Santa routine for my kids, but I have done the whole dress-up on a few occasions for other children events. But now that I’m an Ambassador I delegate that to someone else.
However, my son Nicholas would wake up at four in the morning on Christmas day and beg ‘daddy to let us open the gifts’ because while he was sleeping we put the gifts there and he would get up and say Santa has come. Those were some of my best Christmas day experiences, because it was pure joy to see the faces of Paula and Nicholas as they opened their Christmas presents.

****************

YESU PERSAUD – BUSINESSMAN, PROFESSIONAL LEADER

At age 87 going on 88, Dr. Yesu Persaud remains one of the most successful businesses men in the Caribbean, and on the local shores also wears many caps. This Christmas, the father of three and grandfather of four will be using the season to visit friends and share some family time, but Christmas day will be spent “very quietly at home.”

What does Christmas mean to you?

Persaud: In Guyana, Christmas causes us to live together in peace and harmony. It is the only time that Guyanese come together, putting aside all differences. Christmas is one of the most uniting festivals and it is the only festival that everyone celebrates, regardless of religion. To me, while very few countries can boast of this, it’s all about togetherness, especially in Guyana, so it’s very special for me.

Do you get involved in the cooking of Christmas lunch and have you ever dressed up as Santa for your children?

Persaud: Honestly, I’m not a good cook, so I can’t say yes. I stay away from that totally… and let the cooks do the cooking (chuckles). And as regards to playing Santa, I have never done such a thing. My family always had someone else to do that for us.

What is your one Christmas wish?

Persaud: Personally I have been very active in many things over the years, so I hope I will be able to do that a while longer, for the benefit of all. My wish for Guyana is that we can learn to live together in peace and harmony, thoroughly united, with the aim of building Guyana for the sake of Guyana.

****************

BRYAN HUNT, CHIEF OF MISSION TO GUYANA, U.S. EMBASSY

As Chief of Mission for the United States Embassy, Hunt is arguably one of the more busy officials on the local shores who work overtime to strengthen the Guyana-US relations at every level. Unfortunately for this Virginia young man, in the absence of the Ambassador he is second in command of the United States Embassy, and at age 42, this people person will be among the lot who will not be home for Christmas. He has also never done the dress-up-as-Santa Claus routine.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Hunt: To me it’s about friends and family getting together and enjoying yourself; celebrating the fact that you are in one another’s lives. For Christmas I will probably be going over to the homes of friends in the afternoon after entertaining some of them over at my place in the morning myself. I have friends in Guyana, but my family will not be here.

So you’ll be here for Christmas?  

Hunt: Yes, this year I will be spending Christmas in Guyana because the ambassador will be away, so we can’t both be out of the country at the same time. This will be the first year spending Christmas here for me and I don’t know how different it will be celebrating Christmas here.

Will you be cooking?

Hunt: Our big ‘food’ holiday in the US is Thanksgiving, and for Christmas we basically make some of the same kind of foods like turkey, ham and those sorts of stuff. However for this Christmas I will not be cooking, but my friends will be doing that, and I have tasted the pepperpot and I am looking forward to having more of it for Christmas.

What is your most memorable Christmas experience?

Hunt: My most memorable Christmas was the year that I spent with friends on a beach at a resort in Mozambique.

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Hunt: Yes, I do very much (chuckles). To me there is a Santa Claus wherever peace and love exist in this world.

What is your Christmas wish?

Hunt: Personally I hope that during this season we would see less violence, less hatred and less division in the world. I hope that love will trump hate. As far as for Guyana, I hope that Guyana has a peaceful Christmas and I hope that we begin to see economic, social and political progress in the new year.

****************

Justin Nedd CEO, GTT

While he is the man in charge of the affairs of GTT, his Christmas plans will ensure that he is not in Guyana for the festive season but as he puts it “I will be home with family.” He is not a father as yet.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Nedd: Christmas is really about the birth of Jesus Christ for me, because I grew up in a Christian home. It is not necessarily about the shopping. Christmas is about family, so I will be spending Christmas with my family overseas.

What will Christmas Day be like for you?

Nedd: I got to eat, man, so I have to cook. Cooking some food and eating and looking at some basketball, but I’m not doing the pepper pot, I’ll just cut up the vegetables. I will be the sous chef.

Do you believe in Santa Claus?

Nedd: Actually I don’t believe in Santa Claus, because it just commercializes Christmas. Yes, commerce is important, but to me Christmas to me specifically should be about the birth of Christ, and celebrating Christmas is a good time for reflection, so Santa Claus is not in my belief system. This is even more so because I don’t think my mother really entertained that belief in sitting on Santa’s lap, etc…no, I’m not that kind.

What is your one Christmas wish?

Nedd: For me, my one Christmas wish is continued happiness and humility. For Guyana I wish for more Spectrum! That we are granted Spectrum and everybody could use their phone on 3G and 4G and the media could stop asking me about 3G and 4G.

---

---