Can any occasion which calls for a gathering of family members be realistically described as peaceful? Such gatherings (particularly those which involve hours upon hours of togetherness) can best be described as symbolically, hopefully, best-foot-forwardly so, but certainly not actually peaceful.
Picture all the alcohol flowing freely, the overfull plates, the loose lips flapping, the whiny children complaining loudly, all that couldn't possibly make for a peaceful setting. And even if you throw in a well meaning visit to church with hearty singing of well known carols, I bet you that warm fuzzy feeling will soon vanish once you discover your man (or woman) bypassed all the obvious hints you gave about what you really wanted, and got you trampy underwear instead (hand trembling with happy anticipation as he or she presents it to you..."for later when the kids are in bed, honey"), prompting you to have all sorts of "un-peaceful" thoughts like does this man (woman) even @#$%ing read signifyinguyana?
All of this is pointedly hypothetical of course...
So you see, knowing how elusive (and frankly, quite boring) peace tends to be on these occasions, I won't wish it on you for Christmas. Instead, I wish you and yours lots of fun, plenty of good eats and drinks, plenty noises from whiny, squabbling children, hearty caroling and churching (if you're a sucker for the warm fuzzy feeling), and books by and about the many talented, hard-working preservers of our Caribbean culture--poets, novelists, artists, biographers et al-- in lieu of trampy underwear. Trust me, the books are more likely to get you that extended peace you're looking for (big fat conspiring wink).
