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From: "Becky Horne" <>
Subject: Re: [ZA] Christmas Greetings
Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 10:46:31 +0200
References: <5.2.0.9.2.20021224100022.00b7d130@pop1.sympatico.ca>


Diary of the events of Christmas Day of a Settler family in 2002

24/12/02 17h30 - Put the smoked Gammon into the oven to be served cold on
Christmas Day. Finished last minute gift wrapping and tidied up my kitchen.
Went online and downloaded mail while wiping the sweat off my brow. Welcomed
friends and family and opened gifts as we had to be early the next morning
to go to church. Jumped into bed around 12h30 exhausted from the days
events.

25/12/02 05h00 - Kids woke us up early to open more gifts. Had coffee and
biscuits for breakfast Played my new CD while rushing around to get
everybody dressed and ready for church. Church was overflowing at the seems
and had to bring in more chairs. Why can't every Sunday be like this?
Visited the neighbours and exchanged Christmas greetings. Had a glass of
chilled wine. Hope the Boeing has flown over? (In SA it's the "done thing"
to only have glass of alcohol only once an aeroplane has flown over) Gosh,
it's so hot and it's only 10h30! Rushed off home to make a noodle salad
while my daughter spent some time on the phone trying to find someone that
was spending Christmas alone. "I've found someone Mom" (Family tradition -
always try and get a "stranger" to spend Christmas Day with us that is
alone)

25/12/02 Midday - Every year the family takes turns to hold Christmas lunch
at their home and today it was at my brother-in-law's turn. Got down to
carving all the meat that was being served cold and slapped a few hands that
wandered past trying to steal a sample. With lamb, chicken, gammon, salt
beef, tongue and an array of salads, the table was overflowing. Grace was
said and everybody tucked in. Was pleased to see that Mornè - our invited
guest, wasn't shy and was enjoying the family feast.

After filling our tummies it was time to sit back and catch up with family
news. Some spent time goofing off at the pool while the wives gathered up
the dishes and cleared the table for deserts. Then it was time for the
family cricket match and we drew straws who would bat first. I made 26 - my
bowler bowled plenty of wides but I was clean bowled when my daughter's
boyfriend stumped my wicket. The umpire called for a tea break and we sat
down and enjoyed our desert of fruit cocktail and trifle. Then it was more
gifts. Another family tradition whereby one buys gifts for under R20 for the
number of members in your family. The gifts are exchanged whereby numbers
are drawn and hopefully you don't get your own gift back. More chit-chat,
time to tidy up once more and gather up all ones belongings for the trek
home.

Boxing Day (Day of Goodwill in SA) is spent sleeping late, eating left
leftovers and catching up with mail. One daughter is off to the Ox-Braai in
Bathurst and the other off to St. Francis. Mom and Dad are left at home
getting things ready for their visit to the farm in Louterwater to spend
some time sprucing up the family graveyard, picking fruit and visiting
family. My main concern is for my family travelling on the roads - the death
toll is extremely high this year. For our ancestors it must have been
weather as they raised their eyes to heaven and prayed for rain. Very hot
this time of the year. Something's never change.

New Year's greetings,
Becky
Port Elizabeth, South Africa

----- Original Message -----
From: Lehmkuhl <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2002 5:26 PM
Subject: RE: [ZA] Christmas Greetings


>
> >Date: Tue, 24 Dec 2002 14:48:11 +0800
> >
> >Anne Lehmkuhl described the spicy odours in her house after a big
Christmas
> >bake. My mouth was watering! Her NZ leg of lamb is marinating ready for
> >roasting. No turkey?
> >Here in Australia, a leg of lamb is everyday fare and last time I roasted
a
> >chicken, it made me reminisce to my husband that for our childhood
> >Christmases, chicken was such a treat. We only had it at Christmas and
> >Easter!
> >Judy..........Perth. W. Australia
>
>
> Hi Judy
> This year, it's only my husband, son and I for Christmas - so no turkey as
> it is too much for only 3. Our families live in South Africa (except my
> brother, who is working in London, England).
> We also celebrate Thanksgiving Day in late October and have a big turkey
> meal then.
> So this year I decided to go with lamb, which is quite common for
Christmas
> in South Africa. Many folks there cook it on the barbie as it is so hot
there!
> As a child, we also had roast chickens for Christmas (I'm 40) and I only
> had my first turkey in 1994! My family either made a traditional Sunday
> roast or it was a cold buffet around the pool.
> Since I've been in Canada from 1996, I've made the traditional turkey meal
> - with South African influence.
> We don't like the steamed pudding or fruit cake, but trifle is a must.
>
> Here is an article I wrote:
>
> Christmas in early Cape Town
> What was Christmas like for our ancestors in bygone days? For starters,
> there was no Christmas shopping rush! Before 1859 Christmas celebrations
in
> Cape Town were rather low-key.
>
> The English ship Dragon was in Table Bay on Christmas Day in 1607 and its
> sailors carved one of the earliest English post office stones. Jan VAN
> RIEBEECK made no mention of Christmas celebrations in his diaries but he
> did note that he gave each of his men a tankard of Spanish wine for the
New
> Year. His successor, WAGENAAR, noted that on 25 December 1662, Christmas
> was properly celebrated by hearing God's word twice. The week before
> Christmas in 1705 saw stormy weather and on Christmas Day there was a huge
> rainstorm. In 1713, the south-easter blew at hurricane force on Christmas
> Day, with the English ship Great London, anchored in Table Bay, signalling
> for help. The Castle did not reply and so 19 sailors rowed to the shore to
> get an anchor and cable. On their way back, they were blown out to sea and
> never seen again. On Christmas Day in 1769, the first horses sent to India
> from the Cape, left on board the ship Duke of Kingston, bound for Madras.
> In 1849, a Mr. DONALDSON, owner of the Round House, offered his place for
> Christmas celebrations with skittles, quoits and pigeon shooting.
>
> The Cape Argus was the first newspaper to wish its readers a merry
> Christmas on 24 December 1859. In the same issue, Sefton PARRY, owner of
> the Cape Town Theatre, announced the first Christmas pantomime in South
> Africa - "The babes in the woods". That year the weather was "blazing,
> flaring, scorching, nose-blistering, red-hot". The week prior to Christmas
> Day, the paper carried only two Christmas adverts, one suggesting French
> flower vases as presents and another offering Westphalia hams for the
> Christmas meal. A fattened pig cost 30 shillings, a suckling pig cost 9
> shillings and a chicken was 1 shilling. A turkey was 4 shillings and 6
> pence and 100 oranges could be bought for 7 shillings. Robert GRANGER had
a
> grocery store on Castle Street and had just received a shipment of white
> rice from Calcutta. He also had Lancashire hams, Irish butter, Havana
> cigars, whisky, and cheeses from England and Holland.
>
> In December 1864, the main attraction in Cape Town was a ride in the new
> Wynberg railway. The then world's largest ship, Great Eastern, was in
Table
> Bay on Christmas Day in 1869 and Cape Town residents were allowed to visit
> the ship. Christmas in 1871 saw diamond diggers from Griqualand spending
> their holidays in Cape Town. They gave their friends champagne parties and
> treated everyone that crossed their paths. That year also saw Christmas
> trees for sale in the shops. A Mr. LONG, shopkeeper, had the following
> advertisement up: "Oh Pa! Oh Ma! Do go and pay Mr. Long a visit and buy me
> some toys - they are so fine, so unique, and so instructive. Oh do dear
Pa!
> We will be such good children hereafter". Some things don't change with
the
> passing of time!
> Copyright Anne Lehmkuhl 1999
>
> __________/\/*******\/\______
> Anne Lehmkuhl http://www.rupert.net/~lkool/
>
>
>
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