Families across Sarawak and Sabah are gathering in hometowns for Christmas, with many making final preparations to celebrate with loved ones.
KUCHING: Families continue to gather in their hometowns throughout Sarawak and Sabah ahead of Christmas Day.
Many are making final preparations on Christmas Eve to ensure a comfortable and meaningful celebration with loved ones.
Checks revealed a large number of people had already travelled back earlier in the week.
Many opted to do their last-minute Christmas shopping in the morning to avoid crowds.
Housewife Jelumi Lakun, 21, was at the Kuching Sentral Bus Terminal waiting to head to her longhouse in Kanowit.
She will celebrate Christmas with her newborn baby boy.
“I really can’t wait to get back because I’m excited to be with everyone,” she said.
She admitted her decision to return was last-minute, after her mother requested all her children come home.
Her brother-in-law will accompany her on the six-hour journey from Kuching to Sibu before continuing to Kanowit.
“I’m sure that our trip will go smoothly as the Pan Borneo Highway has been completed,” she added.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak final-year student Larry Enteba Langgong, 23, was eager to rejoin his family in Kabo, Saratok.
He expressed satisfaction at securing a last-minute bus ticket after being away for studies.
“After about three to four hours, I’ll arrive in Saratok and spend another 46 minutes or so to get back to the longhouse,” he said.
In Sabah, teacher Chris Wee Kia Kee, 50, did his last-minute Christmas shopping with his wife early at 10 am.
He travelled from Melaka to celebrate Christmas with his wife in Penampang.
They left home at 9.30 am to ensure their shopping would go smoothly.
“When we left, there weren’t much cars, but now it’s getting crowded,” he said when met at a commercial centre.
Fellow shopper and civil servant Rose Marie Rogellio, 45, said she would celebrate Christmas in moderation.
She will carry on her family’s traditions of gathering, exchanging gifts and playing games.
