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Do children have real treats and excitement at Christmas? In my time, children teasingly asked their friends whether they had rice at Christmas. Today, rice is eaten by even the poor almost on a daily basis. With what then do people, especially children, treat themselves at Christmas? Not long ago, rice was a special food eaten on festive occasions. With the �Kru boys� of Accra however, rice was an essential of the daily meal. The Kru workers from Liberia were, therefore, given small sacks of rice as part-payment in kind by some employers. But for most people, rice was an expensive meal eaten only on special occasions and at Christmas. And it was not treated rice like the long-grain and perfumed types which some prefer today. Children had to pick stones from the rice before it was cooked. These days, we will call it child labour! �Rice and Stew� was not the only must at the Christmas dinner table. The main meal in Accra was yam �fufu� and chicken. Yam was not available throughout the year. It was plentiful and good at Christmas time. Chicken from the small farmers appeared on the market at Christmas time; but many households reared chickens in the backyard and slaughtered one or two for special celebrations and at Christmas. The English tradition was strongly maintained and spread by the Fantis, especially. The Christmas dinner table was not complete without a dessert. In those days, it was not Christmas pudding but a fairly rich cake. I wonder what the President had for his Christmas dinner. I hope he did not have a pedestrian meal at Christmas. If he did, I would think twice before voting for him, for he would have betrayed the �Afropean� tradition which the good men and women from his part of the country dutifully preserved. Dundee cake, imported from Britain, was often the dessert at the Christmas dinner and tea. But the expensive cake was not that necessary for many. Baking of cakes and sending them as presents was widespread. We had cakes galore at home. It was my task to separate them into three categories. Cakes, like the Dundee, were in category one. Good quality cakes followed and the third group contained what I called �perfumed cake�. I am, therefore, not surprised that some must have perfumed rice today! We had a lot of visitors at Christmas and they were served with gem biscuits, cake and drink. Incidentally, I found no gem biscuits in the shops I visited! The type of cake served depended upon the visitor. Cakes from Peregrino-Aryee, Supervisor of the �Post Office Hello Girls� and �Mum Flora�, the grandmother of the husband of Hon Mrs Lutterodt, were served to distinguished guests who appreciated them. I wonder whether this culinary expertise is maintained. This time, I wonder what our Chief Justice had for her Christmas dessert and tea, considering her antecedents and those of her husband. I am convinced we have the women and even men to adapt preparation of foods from all parts of Ghana and even outside to produce dishes which we shall enjoy while we keep healthy. I am sure they will excite all our children at Christmas. For children to really enjoy themselves at Christmas, unimaginative rice preparations should give way to dishes such as rich �gari foto�, �akplijii� or �aprapransa� with crabs worked into the food and not as mere decorations. �Abloŋo� and similar plantain dishes should be a must. A few years ago, I wanted to treat some foreigners to a crab dish I enjoyed in my youth. It was difficult to get someone who could prepare it. I even scouted unsuccessfully around Osu for the �aboloo� which would go with it. In the nick of time, I found a lady who could prepare �Akoto-Nkyi.� I was ,therefore, glad to see the preparation described in a recent publication �Aunty Mama�s Cook Book� by Mrs Florence Aleeno Sai. Those who wish to enjoy their food and remain healthy would like to try Mrs Aleeno Sai�s recipes. Imported, manicured rice would then not be the only food enjoyed by children at Christmas and on festive occasions.