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Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 08, 2020 (SKNIS): The cheer of the Christmas season and the sounds of traditional carols will be showcased as the Department of Culture presents the popular “In the Spirit of Christmas” programme under the theme “Our Hope is in You.”

The event began on December 07 at the Antioch Baptist Church at Lime Kiln and will run until December 09, 2020. It showcases a wide variety of talents in St. Kitts and Nevis where individuals come together to share the love and bring joy to many people. “In the Spirit of Christmas” also brings that Christmas spirit, especially at a time when many are faced with challenges posed by COVID-19.

Minister of Culture, the Honourable Jonel Powell, who opened the event on December 07, said the theme is timely and fitting.

“This is not only so beautiful, but it is also applicable. It is said that Christmas is a time for giving and sharing and indeed, this is extremely necessary at this point in our history,” said Minister Powell. “By now you realize that there are so many persons in our Federation who have their hope in us. Hope is in us for a little something to make their lives better, be it cash or kind or both. And this is what this time of the year is about. This is what Christmas is about, not just the birth of Christ, but also a time for giving and sharing more.”

Minister Powell said that St. Kitts and Nevis is a blessed country and all praise and glory should be given to God, especially at such a challenging time.

“We must give thanks to the Almighty God for bringing us as a person, as a people, and as a country this far amidst most trying times. With everything the world has gone through and is still going through, we can truly say that we are blessed,” said the culture minister.

He said that as a Federation we must give thanks for only having 25 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus (20 have recovered and five are active) and no deaths, while he highlighted that 207 countries around the world have had more confirmed cases of the coronavirus than St. Kitts and Nevis.

“It is in our hope that we have in the Almighty why this has been so,” he said.  “Because our hope is in you, the beautiful people of St. Kitts and Nevis for adhering to the COVID-19 protocols why we have not been worse than we are. Our hope is in you to continue to keep it that way.”

The Department of Culture has hosted the “In the Spirit of Christmas” concerts annually for some 20 years.  The event aims to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus Christ – which can sometimes be overlooked by some persons who anticipate the J’ouvert and other festivities associated with the Carnival revelry. Because of the pandemic, Carnival activities for 2020 have been greatly reduced.