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American Samoa prepares to celebrate Christmas 2014

Local residents are hoping for good weather, while police have already implemented their annual holiday enforcement program as American Samoa prepares to celebrate Christmas 2014.

 

Today is already Christmas Day in some parts of the world including Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. Since it moved across the International Dateline three years ago, Samoa is now the first to welcome Christmas and will also be the first to welcome the New Year, 2015.

 

Like the rest of the United States and its territories, families and friends are remembering our soldiers as they continue to serve around the world.

 

“On this Christmas let us... send our love and message of hope to all the soldiers, especially the sons and daughters of American Samoa who will not be home with their families on Christmas,” Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga said in his annual Christmas message. (The governor’s Christmas message is printed in its entirety elsewhere in today’s paper.)

 

In the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, “may we all do our best to follow Christ’s example, to reach out to someone whose Christmas isn't so jolly; to turn our blessings into kindness and compassion; to treat one another the way we would like to be treated. That's the real Christmas spirit,” U.S. President Barack Obama said last week at the ‘Christmas in Washington’ event.

 

“To all our men and women in uniform serving far from home, and to the families who miss them, we thank you for your service and sacrifice, and we're thinking of you this holiday season. And to every American, from the Obama family to yours, Merry Christmas. God bless you, and God bless America,” said President Obama, who along with his family is on their annual holiday vacation in Kailua, Hawai’i.

 

For the holidays, as elsewhere, the road traffic here is perhaps the most frustrating.

 

Monday was made more difficult in the town area as the Lady Naomi arrived in the morning and departed in the afternoon. Also on Monday, the ASG Retirement Office released benefit checks for retirees, who usually receive their checks at the end of the month.

 

Yesterday’s traffic was very busy in various areas of Tutuila, especially around the Laufou Shopping Center area, as well as in Utulei around the Bank of Hawai’i area.

 

Today, roads are expected to be jammed with last minute shoppers plus people getting to the Post Office to check if Santa brought in their last minute orders or any goodies from friends and relatives overseas on last night’s Hawaiian Air flight. Post Office opens today at 7:30a.m.

 

To make matters more jolly, ho ho ho — today the Regent Seven Sea’s cruise ship ‘Mariner’ calls into the Port of Pago Pago this morning, on her maiden visit. The ship is on an 18-night voyage from French Polynesia to Auckland, New Zealand. It arrives from Rarotonga, Cook Islands and departs late in the afternoon for Suva, Fiji, spending Christmas Eve at sea.

 

Meanwhile, many shops in the territory have stayed open longer hours since last week and will continue to stay open later on Christmas Eve, with at least two retailers — both in the Nu’uuli area — planning to open Christmas morning for any last minute shopping, according to their signs.

 

Grocery stores are reporting that they are prepared for the Christmas rush — and along with many of the shops, they are banking on Christmas shopping to be their revenue maker for the holiday season.

 

If you don’t want to cook this year, several local restaurants are offering Christmas brunch at a special price. (See Samoa News advertisements for more details).

 

Gov. Lolo has already declared that ASG will observe holidays on Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (tomorrow) and New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2015 (next week Thursday). All government offices will be closed and ASG employees working on these days will be compensated according to applicable laws and regulations.

 

Many ASG employees were hoping that the governor would declared a two-day Christmas holiday (Dec. 25 and 26) as proclaimed earlier this month by President Obama for the federal government. However, this will not be the case here.

 

The majority of the territory’s businesses — including Bank of Hawaii and ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank — will also be closed tomorrow, and re-open on Friday.

 

StarKist Samoa is currently on a two-week shutdown and will resume production on Jan. 4, 2015, which accounts for much of the exodus to Samoa happening this week.

 

It should be noted that the U.S. Post Office in Fagatogo will be open today — starting at 7a.m. and will be closed Christmas Day, but will re-open on Friday for business.

 

Department of Public Safety is out in force during the holiday to ensure peace and harmony in the territory. And if you are out partying, please don’t drive but have a designated driver — or even better — call a taxi. Remember also — the DHSS has a designated driver program, and those interested can sign up at the DHSS office in Utulei. (By the way: it’s for a ride home— not to bar hop.)

 

The holiday traffic enforcement runs through Jan. 4, 2015

 

For U.S. nationals heading to Samoa and in need of a permit, the Samoa Consulate Office in Fagatogo is open today for regular business hours. The office will be closed tomorrow and Friday — which is also a holiday in Samoa along with other Pacific countries in observance of “Boxing Day”.

 

Samoa News will not publish tomorrow in observance of Christmas Day but will return on Friday. However, Santa’s helpers, those pesky news reporters, will be out and about checking to see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.

 

From the Staff and Management of Samoa News, We Wish American Samoa a Very Merry Christmas!