Friday, November 19, 2010

No White Christmas in Africa

There is no doubt that it is summer in South Africa. The days are longer and in Cape Town the sun sets way after 8pm. And to remove any further doubt, had this been Europe the temperatures we are experiencing at the moment would probably have made headline news as "the next heat wave to hit the continent". So I was walking into a local shopping mall, 30 degrees outside, and what do I see? A f**in huge snowman! So I ask myself, "What is a freakin snowman doing in South Africa when it is 30 degrees outside where most South Africans have never ever seen any snow in their lives before?" "Oh,", you might say, "but it is one month away from Christmas". So what? This is South Africa, we have created many mythical creatures ourselves, just think about the Tokoloshe and Antjie Somers. We don't have to rely on overseas' fairy tales of a fat man in a red suit who brings presents to good children on sleigh that will get stuck in the Kalahari sand in no time. The poor dude will lose 40 kg's of sweat just south of the Equator already. We also don't build snowmen over Christmas time. We swim in the sea and lie in the sun. Yes, we also celebrate Christmas, some of us still for the reason it was started 2000 years ago. But why do we have to try and do it like the Europeans and other countries do that actually have the right to call it a "white" Christmas? By the way, speaking about a "white" Chrismas in South Africa is so politically incorrect, it would be better to call it a "Coloured Christmas" instead. But even that could offend some people. Let's stick with a "Summer Christmas" rather. Come on South Africa, be original for a change. Santa Clause with all his deers, dwarfs and giant snowmen does not belong here. Rather celebrate Christmas for what it was intended to be, and if your religion doesn't cater for that then think of something more original than a fat dude in a red suit. And this is Cape Town, we DON'T build snowmen in December, we're on the beach building sand castles.

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