Grandmother describes Christmas as a special time for family

Mother and grandmother Agnes Baki says Christmas is a special time that brings family members together and reminds them to be thankful for belonging to something greater; family.

Agnes, originally from Manus Province, is married to Nicholas Baki from Kairuku in Central Province. The couple is based at Sabusa along the Hiritano Highway, about a 40-minute drive from Port Moresby.

“Even if there is no food or money, coming together as a family during this festive season means a lot to us,” Agnes said.

She said Christmas should be a time when families reconnect, strengthen bonds, and feel a sense of belonging.

“All of my children are working in Port Moresby. My husband and I live in Sabusa on a piece of land he bought, where we take care of our grandchildren and do small gardening. We visit our children in the city when we have time,” she said.

Reflecting on the rising cost of living, Agnes compared prices from past decades to today.

“Back in the 1980s and 1990s, when my husband was working and we lived in Goroka, a 10kg bag of rice cost K17 and would last us two weeks. Today, the same bag costs more than K60,” she said.

Agnes said her eldest son, who works with the National Airports Corporation [NAC], recently visited and provided shopping vouchers to help the family prepare for Christmas.

“Prices have gone up so much that we can’t buy many things. We will only get basic necessities like rice and sugar,” she said.

The happy grandmother said two of her grandchildren, Deshley and Earnest, who normally live with their parents at Nine Mile, are spending the festive period with her.

“We can’t say much about the prices because they keep changing every time we visit the stores. As taxpayers, we just have to budget carefully according to the cost of goods,” Agnes said.