Bugibba was the only place in Malta this year where you hardly knew it was Christmas.

I run a jewellery shop in Bugibba and made an effort to decorate my shop for the festive season. Every year I set up a typical Maltese crib for tourists and locals to visit. But, unfortunately, none of our local councillors seem to believe in Christmas. By 5 p.m. we had to close our shops even on Christmas eve because the streets were so dark and Bugibba was like a ghost town. Not a single star could be seen in the streets.

I have been all around Malta this Christmas and even the smallest villages and hamlets had their share of Christmas spirit. Knowing that the St Paul's Bay local council had a financial surplus from traffic fines, the least we expected was a recognition of Christmas like the rest of the country.

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