Whether you’re in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, it really doesn’t matter, we tend to think of Christmas from a Northern point of view. All snow and cold and turkey for lunch. However, it’s very different down in places like South Africa and Australia.
It’s a perfect time for going to the beach or having a braai/barbecue. In fact, it’s rather impractical to cook a full-on roast dinner on Christmas Day (although the crazy people do!) Sometimes temperatures can soar up to the high 30’s and even 40’s, and that’s in Celsius! (I don’t want to know what the temperature in the kitchen would be with a hot oven cooking away for hours.) A lot of locals in Cape Town rather have their dinner on the cooler Christmas Eve and then eat leftovers on Christmas Day – perhaps the wisest plan.
Having been born in England myself, I still miss some of the British traditions because they really LOVE Christmas. Building snowmen in the front garden, eating fragrant stuffing and roast potatoes, snowball fights with the children from the neighbourhood, and going Christmas-carolling from door to door.
But still there are new traditions to be made, going for a picnic in the magnificent Kirstenbosch Gardens, feeding the guinea fowl, sipping a cocktail as you gaze at an indescribably beautiful sunset, taking a walk on the beach with the sand between your toes and just being thankful.
Just for fun I painted these two Emperor penguins – mother and chick. Or should I say Mother Christmas penguin and chick. The little chick is so cute and fluffy and I just love the way that his head is leaning back on his mum for comfort and support.
I hope you have the most wonderful Christmas with family and friends. Blessings to you. xx
