By Rolien Hattingh

This year is my sixth Christmas here in the south of the United Kingdom, in England.

It is Christmas time again. Most of the shops have started putting up decorations since the end of October and started unpacking Christmas stock. The most beautiful festive sweaters hang alongside the ugly ones. Fair Isles in red, green, white and gold, and multicoloured ones with antelope, clocks, dachshund and Christmas trees on them. These are very popular, I even have half a dozen or so of them in my cupboard. Every house gets strings of lights and some front gardens have so many decorations, I’m certain they are visible from the moon. It is very beautiful, people drive around after dinner, their cars packed to the brim with children in pyjamas. People criss-cross the streets with family and friends to admire all the lights and house decorations. News of a house where new lights were switched on spreads like wildfire on social media. Housing complexes and neighbours compete for the best light display.  

Coffee shops offer a free snack with every cup of coffee as a donation to one of the many charity organisations. The larger department stores play only Christmas music and even get a group of dancers or drum players who perform outside their doors. The music and the colourfully illuminated dancers attract a lot of attention.

In every town there are extraordinary lights all along the main street. It is a very festive sight when you drive through the streets. Some of the shops stay open until ten o’clock every night, except on Sundays. It is very nice to do your Christmas shopping in peace, no rush. Except for the last two nights before Christmas Eve. Then you need to stay far away from everything. Although the pubs – or locals, as they are called here – is not the type of place everyone will prefer to hang out, there are not many other Christmas meals that taste better.  

People enjoy roasted or rotisserie turkey, pork, beef and lamb, with or without stuffing. The best roast potatoes and of course, Yorkshire pudding, which turns out not to be pudding at all, to my shock. It is a type of bowl made from pie crust and filled with brown sauce. There are pumpkin, sweet potato and cranberry sauce – even over the green peas. Restaurants are sometimes booked a year in advance for the Christmas Day and Boxing Day meals. Of course, family prefer to rather get together and spend time together than going out somewhere.

Religious people attend a church service at midnight and then again at 10:00 in the morning. Church bells ring every hour. You can walk into any church and attend the services. They offer something to eat and drink after the Christmas Day services. The poor and destitute are looked after all through the year. The many soup kitchens and charities appreciate all contributions – not only necessities and food, but they also appreciate your time. You can help peel vegetables, bake something, or help dish up the food.

My favourite Christmas morning tradition is a walk in one of the woods close to me or along the Thames River as soon as the day breaks, which is about 07:30 to 08:00. Coffee in the one hand and a Christmas mince pie in the other. With Christmas hats on, wrapped in Christmas scarves and dressed in Christmas sweaters, morning walkers greet each other, exchanging good wishes. Dogs and children running around and playing. Rosy cheeks and eyes that glisten from the cold, nothing stopping the joy in their laughter.  

Almost everyone has one or more dogs. They sleep indoors and they are walked two to three times a day. There are many dog sitters and dog walkers, as for many people this is their only source of income. The dogs usually get blankets and they have winter jerseys to keep them warm when they are taken for a walk, as well as a venison bone as a Christmas present that is chewed in front of the fireplace.

All the shops are closed on Christmas Day and Day of Goodwill (Boxing Day). One or two shops will stay open for bread and milk, but that is it. Everyone stays home in their pyjamas, eating Christmas leftovers. The day after Boxing Day the shops will be full of people again, swopping gifts and buying food and clothes.  

Schools and universities start in September after the long summer holiday. The Christmas holiday is only between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Most businesses only close for that week, and everything is then back to normal by 2 January.

It is -2° here this morning and back in South Africa it is already 34°. Back there, people are braaiing, here we are out and about despite it being so cold. Someone told me long ago that it is too cold here. No man, it isn’t, it is what you make of it … we are going to have a nice Christmas!