Cathy Kotzé

Christmas in Canada is ‘n magical experience! Santa Claus doesn’t live in the north of this country for nothing (according to the Canadians, anyhow!) …

Moreover, Canadians are Santa Claus’s helpers through and through – especially if it has to do with handing out presents. The words “’Tis the season for giving” are taken very seriously. The Salvation Army’s Samaritan Purse deliver gift-filled shoe boxes to poor children all over the world. Thousands of Canadians fill these boxes with toys, school stationary, sweets, little soaps, toothbrushes, handtowels and much more, which are carefully selected. Read more about this project: https://www.samaritanspurse.ca/pack-a-shoebox/?sc=SD19XDOCCS.

It is a joy for us to invade the shops and look for presents. We often add a short letter and a family photo in every box. I especially like to add a packet of vegetable seeds for every child’s mother.

I don’t think Sana Claus every skip a single child in Canada. Every shopping centre boasts a toy drive and mountains of brand-new toys are collected. A visit to a mall is a major event. Every toddler boasts brand-new Christmas outfit that was selected very carefully, because the picture with Santa Claus must be perfect!

Homes are festively decorated with lights. All houses have power outlets on the outside – specifically for Christmas lights. It is a freezing event, though: Your fingers feel frozen, your nose wants to fall off, your ears are on fire; but you bravely string hundreds of little lights to the gutters and in trees and shrubs. Then there is nothing that brings home the spirit of Christmas as a true, living Christmas tree in the house. Everything smells of pine.

We brought a few South African Christmas traditions with us. Our children always wrote letters to Santa, which they left on the mantlepiece after my husband and I had checked it “for spelling errors”. Most often, a reply from Santa would be waiting for them. In Canada Santa’s letters are delivered by one of his elves and his little footprints would be clearly visible in the green elf sand that was spilled in the hearth by accident.

My daughter, granddaughter and I still bake real South African Christmas cookies: Jan Smuts cookies, sweet cookies, coffee-flavoured cookies, Romany Creams … We have a splendid time in the kitchen, playing Christmas music and filling the house with the delicious aromas of baking cookies.

En then, eventually, it is Christmas Eve.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command follows Santa Claus on his journey across the world on their website https://www.noradsanta.org/. You can even follow it from South Africa.

When our granddaughter was smaller, she received a special magic key from Santa which she hung outside the front door. Only he could use it to unlock the door.

In our house, gifts are shared on Christmas morning. Our Christmas lunch is true South African: leg of lamb and ham, roasted potatoes, mashed sweet potato, beans, mixed vegetables and sometimes Japie’s favourite dessert.

With time we learned that, although Christmas in Canada has retained very little of the Christmas story, the core of the Godly message never disappeared. Large Christmas meals are arranged for the unemployed, drug addicts, beggars and people who live on the street – and quite often local politicians stand behind the food counters. Everyone

Everyone at the dinner receives a present, mostly scarves, mittens, beanies and toiletries. Food banks have enough to distribute to all poor people.

Christmas is different than in South Africa, but the wonder of it lives on.