Cathy Kotzé

We have been living in the same house in Nanaimo on the beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada for 19 years now. The neighbours have been good friends for a long time and new traditions have become a habit over time, especially over Christmas time.

Neighbour Leslie is a keen quilt artist and every year she surprises us with the most beautiful handmade patchwork gifts. Our daughter Charlene is known for her beautiful and interesting crocheted crafts and fine cross-stitch heirloom. My homemade fudge, Romany Cream cookies and Cape Velvet liqueur are always a winner and Leslie’s shortbread are second to none. Neither of the families can wait for Christmas because we know the gifts will be unique.

The Afrikaans and Canadian cultures nowadays are closely intertwined in our area. Our house, too, is a festival of Christmas lights on the outside. The heavy containers full of Christmas decorations are ready to be unpacked. The whole house must look and smell like Christmas inside and out.

Christmas in Canada is never just a family holiday. It’s a time to share and spread the joy of Christmas as far as possible. There are few children in the country who don’t receive a Christmas present, and new toys are collected on a large scale every year from October. Every supermarket and shopping complex is a collection point, not only for toys but also for groceries.

Soup kitchens provide Christmas dinners to dozens of underprivileged people and the food is often prepared by Canada’s most famous chefs.

Unfortunately, this year COVID-19 has thrown everything in disorder. For the first time ever, no photos will be taken with Santa. We are not going to have Christmas parades, and Christmas singers will not come to sing for us at home. No large family celebrations are planned.

Everyone is trying to stay positive, but this is a year for the history books – one that will never be forgotten and hopefully will never be repeated.

In the meantime, we’re still trying to make every house in town look festive. Residents are already hanging Christmas lights and displaying ornaments. We ourselves are going to decorate the biggest Christmas tree, transform the whole house into a mini Christmas village and make the best Christmas meal ever.

Good luck to you in South Africa. Let’s pray together that Christmas 2021 will be the very best ever … for the whole world.

Our son, Pierre Kotzé, now lives in Neenah, Wisconsin, USA. He is a graphic designer and he designed this typical South African Christmas card years ago. It’s still one of my favourites.