Bert Samuels loved playing the shepherd boy at Christmas

Growing up with many siblings along Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew in the 1960s, Bert Samuels anticipated playing the role of the shepherd boy on Christmas Day as his family re-enacted the birth of Jesus Christ.

The prominent attorney's voice was filled with excitement as he explained what it was like growing up in a strict Pentecostal home more than five decades ago.

"Because we are from a Christian home, we would go to Christmas morning church to remember the birth of Christ. We would sing carols at church, and that was something that I will always remember and keep close to my heart. Santa Claus was not as popular as now; and remember, there was no television at that time and we had to make our own drama. So we would do re-enactment of the birth of Jesus, and being from a huge family with 11 other siblings, I would always play the shepherd boy," Samuels said.

It is customary for households to have bottles of alchoholic beverages as a part of the Yuletide celebration, but not in the Samuels' case. His favourite part of the family holiday included playing outdoors with his friends and relatives. He said that his family could not afford a television, but he said it was not something he yearned for.

"We had lots of clappers and toy guns. The girls would have dolls and they would play 'dolly house', but we would take off the hands and feet and try to do surgery on them. Christmas was just fun. As a teenager, I went to Grand Market once downtown and they picked my pocket, and that wasn't a pleasant experience," he said.

Samuels said that the greatest part of their day was closer to sunset, when they could eat until "belly buss".

"The only time we had ham for the year was Christmas time. I would eat as much as I could. We were poor, so we didn't have the four or five dishes; we only had chicken and ham. Gungo [peas] and sorrel used to come only in season and not just now, so rice and gungo would be the thing. That's a good memory," he said.

As an adult, the attorney said his way of celebrating the holidays means giving back to the less fortunate.

"My children are grown now, but I do an annual Christmas treat in Belvedere, St Andrew, for the past 15 years. A ghetto mi a talk 'bout enuh, and not the rich people. There are adults now who tell me that they used to come to my treat as children. Now they are bringing their own children to the treat. I am guided by the scripture that says when you do something for others that can do nothing for you materially, then you truly give. When you give to the poor, you give unto God and that is what my Christmas treat is about," Samuels said.