'Tis beginning to feel and look like Christmas

This is definitely my favourite time of the year, when everything slows down or comes to a complete standstill.

One of the best things is the traffic-free roads, mainly because schools are out and also by now, many people have closed shop and travelled out of the city.

This, by the way, is the season when you drive into a shopping complex and get confused because of all the parking space available!

While during the rest of the year you are usually quick to pick the first available gap, now you might actually end up spending 15 whole minutes telling yourself, “Perfect! This one is close to the shop entrance... but wait, this one is better because it’s in the shade... oh, but no one will block me if I park in this other one...” Meanwhile the parking meter is running as you struggle with indecision.

Some say choice is a good thing; I would add not always.

Another thing I enjoy is all those Christmas movies on offer. Yes, the ones that have weak acting and very predictable endings despite their different titles. When I am with my sister, we watch them back to back while criticising them the whole time! Sometimes we might even be on our way out but because we want to see what happens next (although nine times out of ten we already know), we’ll stand at the door clutching our bags and the remote control, trying to turn off the TV so we can actually leave the house.

After watching so many of these movies, I have picked up several things that appear to be firmly entrenched Christmas traditions that have over time become universally accepted. Number one is the Christmas tree; in the movies, choosing and buying a real live tree for the family home is a big deal. Next is decorating the tree and the house (both inside and out). This is another big deal – from taking out carefully preserved decorations that have been handmade or handed down generations (and therefore have great sentimental value), to the drama surrounding the lighting of the tree, to having the most elaborately lighted house on the street.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit relatives abroad during the start of the festive season and one evening my cousin took me on a drive around some heavily decorated neighbourhoods.

All I could say was, “Wow!” Here at home, thanks to Chinese innovation, all we have to do is make a trip to the supermarket to buy a plastic tree in the desired size plus plastic decorations, then go back home to do the necessary. I wouldn’t really say we make that much of a fuss; as long as there’s a tree and some decorations, everyone’s happy.

The other tradition I’ve seen in the movies is ice skating either on ponds that have frozen over due to the extreme weather or at the local ice rink. Thankfully, we have one of those right here in the city, plus there is no need to wait until Christmas! However, the one thing we have not been able to reproduce is snow. The closest we’ve come to imitating it in all the years I’ve been alive is balls of cotton wool stuck on the trees. I was a happy person when Christmas cards with local and more relevant scenes started being sold more widely.

Perhaps the best Christmas tradition of all is the gathering of family and friends. This is a time to meet up with people we maybe have not seen all year, even those annoying older relatives who insist on reminding us that time is running out if we haven’t ‘settled down’ or had a(nother) baby, or bought a house or climbed the career ladder... Try not to mind them, this is the season to forgive and to give as well as receive as much cheer as possible. No matter what your Christmas traditions include, here’s to wishing you all a wonderful festive season!