Its that time of year again! Wow... Namibia at Christmas.
As a D.C. girl, born and bred, it's a bit weird for me to see Christmas holiday decorations up in October. But, that's the deal here. Since Halloween and Thanksgiving are not Namibian holidays, there is no barrier to getting the Christmas stuff up nice and early.
Also, in Namibia, the vast majority of the country basically goes on serious holiday anytime from the second week of December until the second and third weeks of January. Things get slow here during that time.
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| Mr. and Mrs. Santa Bear welcoming all guests to our house |
Most shops close down by the end of the second week of December. People take leave and they get out of Dodge!
They go to the farms where they come from, the villages where their parents and families live or they leave the country to take holidays outside of the country.
These days it's changing and not so extreme, but easily half of the city is gone during the Christmas holiday. Those of us that stay in town, get the city to ourselves and we relax. In recent years, merchants are waking up to the fact that you need to make profits to survive and they are staying open to reap in the Xmas profits! Some of the larger stores are actually open all the way through the holiday time; but these are usually the South African chain stores; local Namibian stores, by-and-large, still don't get it; they close at holiday time.
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| Bowl of golden ornaments in the Christmas sun! (the bear is getting a tan!) |
When I first came to live in Namibia in 1990 after Independence, Windhoek, the Capital City was a serious ghost town after December 1 and remained that way until the end of January. Schools close here in November and don't re-open until the last week of January.
It's no wonder that the Christmas decorations go up in late October. The cities put up light displays and all stores put something of the holiday spirit in their windows. People only have November to enjoy them until they and all of their customers leave town!
It gets a bit strange to see holiday decorations in Africa with snow, ice cicles, Jack Frost, sleds, reindeer, jolly ol' Santa in a thick red suit trimmed with white fur, and Frosty the Snowman plastered on all windows, doors, mall decorations and trees. The Christmas trees on display here are all the blus spruce or other pine trees that I grew up relating to Christmas.
None of this is native to Namibia or Africa at all! I've written an article for a local weekly newspaper called the Windhoek Observer. I wrote:"...[instead of seeing Santa in the recognized way,] ...We should be talking about a brown brotha’ on a magic sand board going over the dunes, wearing shorts, sandals, an open safari shirt, a Windhoek Laager logo tank top, sun shades and a wide brimmed straw hat. Our ‘Santa’ should be happily singing Liberation Movement songs as he tosses his gifts over the wall of each city house, farm, tukul, or rusted zinc roof shack that he passes.
Whattup with reindeer? Let’s go with kudus pulling the extra-wide sand board around as it glides in the air on heat thermals. Let’s switch away from the North Pole thing and have ‘Santa’ live in a secret, beautiful hidden workshop deep in the Namib... "
All that said, I cannot tell the a lie... I miss the snow, cold that makes my red nose run, the smell of a freshly cut pine Christmas tree, baking my famous chocolate chip cookies and sweet potato pie, roast turkey with my Mom's oyster dressing, giblet gravy, hot homemade biscuits, buttery corn, collard greens with smoked turkey, cranberry sauce, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Yummy....I miss playing spades or pinochle with my family and friends! I miss watching the NFL games and screaming at the TV screen alongside of my nephew who won our family pick-em competition last football season, I miss hugging Mom and seeing my kids studying in the States; I miss being home...
But, the pictures in this blog are my way of celebrating Christmas those years where I cannot go home for the holidays (like this year). I have a different kind of holiday fun here, but I have fun! Everybody should just do Christmas in whatever way makes them happy! Afterall, that is what the season is all about anyway.
Merry Christmas....
If you come to Namibia at Christmas time,
Tell'em Jackie sent ya'
