| Say Safari in South Africa and one immediately | | | | Barbeques take the place of the fireplace and |
| thinks of hot, dusty plains filled with Mopani trees. | | | | swimming in the sea is a must to cool the |
| And you wouldn't be wrong! | | | | fevered brow. |
| Add Christmas into the equation and the picture | | | | Of course, over time, new traditions become |
| becomes a bit skewed. Surely tinsel, angels and | | | | woven into the fabric of the celebration, which |
| carols, let alone Santa in all his red and white | | | | only seeks to enhance this time of year. Instead |
| clothing, have no place in this land of wild animals, | | | | of having the main meal of the day at lunchtime, |
| birds and sunshine? | | | | in South Africa it is usually moved to the cool of |
| No snow gently falling, no fireplaces filled with | | | | the evening. The long summer days encourage |
| roaring, log fires, mulled wine and frost, but wide, | | | | friends and family to get together enjoying each |
| blue skies filled with sunshine, white sandy | | | | others company. |
| beaches with warm water lapping the shores and | | | | The main message of Christmas is family. |
| photographs filled with - you've guessed it - tinsel, | | | | Spending the time together, re-connecting in this |
| angels and carols! | | | | mad, harried world is what matters most. |
| Historically, South Africa has had a tremendous | | | | Remembering, giving thanks for tradition past and |
| European influence, right from the early settlers | | | | present, renewing our faith in one another. |
| from Germany, Holland, France and of course | | | | Whether Christians, Muslims, Shintos, Buddists, |
| Great Britain, bringing with them their traditions of | | | | Jews, Hindus or the many other religions - they all |
| Christmas trees, holly, lights and turkey. | | | | celebrate something at this time of the year and |
| Many of these traditions survive with Santa | | | | light plays a big part in most of them. |
| visiting excited children in his grotto in all the big | | | | We all love to drape tiny, sparkly lights into the |
| shopping malls in the run-up to the big day, large | | | | trees in the garden; candles flicker on the table; |
| fir tree branches being sold beside the road for | | | | glittering jewellery given as gifts; the glint of |
| you to take home and decorate with shiny | | | | sunshine on the spray of the wave crashing on |
| baubles and golden stars. | | | | rocks. It's a celebration. |
| Carols blare from loud speakers proclaiming Good | | | | And somehow that's right. It feels good to be a |
| King Wenceslaus' trudge through snow-filled | | | | part of something that transcends colours, |
| forests whilst the temperature soars outside to | | | | creeds, hot and cold, north and south. For at least |
| 30 degrees in the shade. It's certainly a different | | | | one day in the year everyone can rejoice. |
| Christmas to those portrayed in the cards. | | | | |