QQ’s son makes Christmas merrier

Dancehall artiste QQ says the birth of his son, Khairi, eight years ago caused him to fully appreciate the true meaning of Christmas.

He said, "Now celebrating Christmas with my son, we dress up for sure for Christmas, and just have such a vibe and wild out in the house. He is opening gifts, we put out the milk for Santa who is never coming, but of course it's the imagination that counts," he said.

"I can't really ever remember having any exciting Christmas before my son was born," the artiste, whose given name is Kareem Dawkins, told THE STAR.

The singer, who broke into the music business as a child, recalled that he spent a lot of his Christmas holidays either travelling or performing.

"The impact of the busy schedule during Christmas time impacted strongly because a lot of times I'd be performing the day before Christmas or Christmas Day. If I performed the day before Christmas and try to get back for Christmas, I would be travelling on Christmas Day, so you do miss a lot of critical events and family events that I would want to be there for. But nonetheless it was a sacrifice that I am grateful I made and have no regrets about making," he said.

QQ said that he always looked forward to Christmas.

"It was all about putting on treats for the kids whenever I wasn't touring or performing. So I would look forward to it for that reason, seeing all the smiles on the children's faces," he revealed.

QQ, who has been a constant figure on the entertainment scene since he broke into the business at age 11, spent his early days in Maverley, St Andrew, where he lived with his grandmother, before he migrated to London, England. He said that in Maverley, Christmas celebrations were "pretty subtle".

"You know [we are] poor people pickney so we would cook and eat, and you know, I got a toy or a soldier or something," he recalled. When he moved to London, QQ experienced what a white Christmas was like.

"You get that Christmas vibe with the snow and they are big on exchanging gifts, etc, so that was cool," he shared. QQ said that the way he views Christmas has changed since Khairi's birth. He told THE STAR that he gets to experience the magic of "seeing the Christmas joy in his eyes".

"He really loves Christmas, this is the moment for him," he shared.

"After I became an adult, obviously my son was born and then we did Christmas in Jamaica, but for whatever reason, he prefers Christmas somewhere where it snows. He likes the Christmas snow vibe. He likes the gifts under the tree and the idea that Santa will be coming down the chimney," he added.

QQ said he is unsure where he will be spending Christmas this year but wherever it is, he will be spending it with his son.

"More than likely it will be in New York because, as I said, my son likes to spend it somewhere where it is cold," he said.

QQ said that while his Christmas holidays were far from exciting, an incident that stands out in his mind involved watching curried goat being made from scratch.

"I remember one year being in the countryside, and I had to stand there and watch a goat get killed and skinned. I sympathised with the goat, but then I had him for dinner at the same Christmas table, so that was memorable to this day," he said.