1) A snowman is called an 'ice bubba'. I think that's pretty cool - no pun intended.
2) A common sight on the streets are the stalls selling inflatable Santas. The inflated Santas hang in lines from the tops of the stalls, or even from nearby trees.
3) I don't think I've heard so many Christmas Carols in a single Christmas season. The radio pumped them out on the days leading up to Christmas and even the days after. It seems that the most popular one would be "Mary's Boy Child", though I think "Little Drummer Boy" also got a fair amount of airplay. "Stay A Little Longer Santa" was one I'd never heard before and I have to admit that someone singing of Santa as their love interest was something I found a little unnerving.
4) I learnt that if you write Charismas Eve in a fancy font, nobody will probably even notice the spelling mistake.
5) Decorating houses with lights isn't done for Christmas. Instead, nativity scenes are the go. Straw nativities are made with statuettes placed inside to depict the events surrounding the birth of Christ. You can register your nativity for local competition. Judges will go around visiting registered nativities and will select a winner, who collects a cash prize. In fishing areas, the straw nativities are often made in the shape of a fishing boat.
6) I was showing my English students a selection of old Christmas cards. One had a picture of Santa standing by a chimney and this aroused the curiosity of my students. They asked me if there was any truth behind the legend of Santa Claus, so I explained the history behind the legend and how the legend is told in modernity. When I told the part about Santa going down and up the chimney, there were 'ah!'s of understanding all around. Now they understood why Santa was standing on the roof. A little explanation about reindeers and flying sleighs also helped to make things a little clearer (one girl thought that Santa delivered presents with his team of donkeys).
As I told my (adult) students the story of Santa travelling around the whole world in one night and leaving presents for all the girls and boys, I found myself wondering how this tale must sound to those who have grown up without piles of presents under trees, without stocking stuffed with toys and treats. Would a child wonder why this magical man would travel the whole world with goodies galore and never come to them? Do they wonder if there's backpay? I wondered if part of the reason that so few of us spare a thought for the needs of others at Christmas is because we've grown up being told that Santa visits all children - kick back and enjoy your goodies and count on
Santa to take care of everyone else. At that point it seemed that the Santa story as it is told in modern society is actually a story of exclusion; we would like to believe that Christmas is for everybody and yet it we can choose to build it around a concept that is only for a few.
Wherever you are around this world, I hope this Christmas was a blessed time for you and your loved ones. More than that, I hope you were able to look around you and be able to give to another who might not have had a wrapped gift sitting under their tree. And, even more than that, I hope that this is something you will be able to do each and every day in the coming year.
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