WHERE ARE THE CALENDARS?

Every now and then we laugh at ourselves when we remember things we believed in our childhood. Well, for years I thought that man on the calendar was Jesus himself.

Every year he was a fixture on my grandmother’s wall. There were about three designs in rotation: (1) a simple portrait of him in a robe, (2) a photo of him hanging on the cross and (3) him seated with the 12 disciples, though some went a step further to include the woman washing his feet. These were mama’s favourite wall calendars, like many other Christians. She would pick them up at the supermarket every Christmas. Over time, the man on the wall disappeared and was replaced by other images she loved, like flowers. Are the ‘Jesus calendars’ still in production?

Wall calendars were also a thing in my house. Though not the ‘Jesus calendar’, my parents had them too. To be honest, the wall calendar tradition rubbed off on me. I have always had one at home and the office. But I was rather peculiar about it. They had to be the nice ones that looked like art, bold photographs that told a story or the recipe ones I’d hang in the kitchen.

The FAME calendar used to be all the rave, as people would line up in morning dew and hot sun at 32 Lyndhurst Road to grab their copy of the vibes calendar featuring Francois St. Juste and the gang, with the mystery around what roles they would be playing in the photo shoot each year. As one who worked in media and marketing, I got mine delivered. Another favourite of mine was the Guardian Life baby. Every year we wanted to see how nicely the little girl was growing. Fans said it was the same kid. Who knows? She was cute! In recent years, Bert’s Auto Parts had a nice Asian themed calendar which was quite artsy and would fly off the counter quickly. It was the best kept secret! Oh, the list of beautiful calendars is endless. Now, do you believe me that the tradition rubbed off?

But COVID-19 seems to have taken calendars with it, along with everything else. The digital age has played a role but up until 2020, they were still relatively popular. Surely, many of us now take a quick glance at our mobile phones to check the date, but I am an old-fashioned girl who is somewhat in withdrawal mode over the drastic reduction in production of paper calendars. I have resorted to a desk calendar in my home! Like, who does that?! My sister of course! The tradition never rubbed off on her and she has been a minimalist in this regard. Well, thanks to her, I have the desk calendar, the only one in my home up to January 22. Such a travesty!

I will admit that my movement has been limited due to COVID-19, but there was a time that it would take only a stop at a place of business to land a calendar. So, where are they? They are expensive, so I imagine if companies are cutting costs, the calendar will get axed. I live in hope for my picturesque, artsy, calendar to hang at the spot where my calendar is placed annually.

If you see a nice one out there, give me a link. LOL! But not the ‘Jesus calendar’. Exactly who that person is, is a conversation for another time. My favourite calendars are the ones with twelve pages featuring great photography. Maybe I will just make own calendar. Idea! Do you love wall calendars like I do?

I am Suzette Campbell

Note: Originally published on January 22, 2022