May Pen residents have a blast with Coca-Cola Christmas tour

A large crowd gathered around the rails erected by the team from Coca-Cola beside the Valumart supermarket in May Pen as they made their final stop on their Christmas Road Tour, which kicked off on December 9 at Mandela Park in Kingston.

Parked on the sidelines was a well-decorated caravan, with Santa Claus sitting in his chair seeing children having a blast sitting on his knees, getting the opportunity to be photographed with him. The icing on the cake was getting a printed copy of the photo as a keepsake.

In the ‘Coca-Cola circle’, residents had fun entering the various on-the-spot competitions orchestrated by emcee Rohan Perry, aka ‘Quite Perry’.

Commenting on the day’s activities, Chantellee McDonald, Coca-Cola brand manager at Wisynco Group, said Christmas is a big part of the Coca-Cola business.

“We want to do a lot during the time when we give back to our customers, and so we have this tour. May Pen has turned out to be one of our best stops. Tthe people have great energy, they have been great,” she said, in acknowledging the overwhelming support given to the crew.

Part of the promotions included a ‘Letter to Santa’, stating their Christmas wish with four predetermined prizes. These pre-written letters were a major hit for those who made their wish for one of four options – a brand new television; $50,000 in groceries; $50,000 towards their energy bill, or a $50,000 Courts gift voucher.

According to McDonald, the Letter to Santa element was added this year because they recognised that a lot of Jamaicans are still struggling to recover financially from the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Coca-Cola Jamaica wanted to gift our consumers in a meaningful way. Our goal is the share the spirit of Christmas with as many Jamaicans as possible,” she said.

McDonald said that with the tour now completed, the winners will be drawn before December 25, ensuring Santa delivers in time to grant their Christmas wish.

The tour is being organised for the second time since 2019, giving Jamaicans the opportunity to enjoy a spin on an old classic which has been experienced by over 100 countries across the globe.

Prior to coming to May Pen, the team made stops in Portmore, St Catherine, and Ocho Rios in St Ann.