The hectic festive holiday is in full swing with Christmas around the corner. December is a time of celebrations and creating memories, with travelling, shopping and sharing becoming major components that define the holiday season.
The Christmas spirit engulfs everyone irrespective of culture, religion or beliefs.
It’s that time of the year! The hectic festive season is in full swing with the spirit of Christmas engulfing everyone irrespective of culture, religion or belief. Businesses big and small are gearing up for the year’s biggest festive holiday while households and families scramble with preparations to avoid last minute disappointments.
The festive season begins and ends with some form of travelling, from one point to another. It also involves endless shopping sprees, sharing and creating memories with loved ones.
Travelling
Travelling is a lucrative business during the festive season. Credit: Lundstedt & Johansson
Times might have significantly changed but travelling remains a lucrative business during this time of year. Gone are the days when Christmas season was a period traditionally associated with workers travelling en-masse from cities to villages to celebrate the holidays with immediate and extended families. While travelling patterns might have also changed, the season still sees an increased traffic of inbound cross-border travellers heading to towns, cities and villages across Zimbabwe. The arduous journey back home has become an annual tradition for those seeking to celebrate, share and enjoy the festive season with family, friends and relatives.
Travelling Tips:
- Safety should always be a priority.
- Avoid travelling in peak times or last minute. Leave early if possible.
- If travelling as a family or group, it would be wise to travel separately for safety reasons and to avert calamity. Separation is a safeguard mechanism that should tragedy strike, others may survive.
- Always label your carry-on or hand luggage as a precaution.
- Always carry some form of identity with you. It can be an ID Card, Passport, Drivers Licence, Birth Certificate, Work Permit or Student ID. It should be something with your full name(s), home address including name of next of kin and their contact information.
Safety is a priority and as such, the holidays begin and end with your safety.
Shopping
Holiday shopping can be stressful if it is done late and without proper planning. Credit: CCDR
Shopping during the holiday season can be very stressful if done late and without a plan. However, shopping at this time can also be an experience that is fun, effective and even money saving if planned appropriately. One can avoid the stress associated with last minute shopping by shopping much earlier. Rather than wait till December, you can save both time and money by targeting clearance sales during the year. Doing so gives you time to stock up for the Christmas season while also giving you ample time to get presents for everyone much cheaper, hassle free and without the stress associated with shopping during the season.
Sharing
The festive season is a time for celebrations and sharing with friends and strangers.
Christmas season is a time of celebration and sharing with friends and loved ones. Zimbabweans are by nature a generous lot. The spirit of giving often manifests and magnifies itself more during the holiday season. Regardless of where one is brought up – in rural Zimbabwe, townships or suburbs of big cities or small towns, that spirit is deeply ingrained in their psyche. As such, Christmas tends to extend beyond gift sharing among family and friends, to sharing of baked goodies and meals with neighbours, Church members or those in need. Afterall, the joy of giving and sharing is much greater than that of receiving. That is the true spirit of Christmas.
Creating Memories
Christmas is much more than elaborate meals, expensive gifts or nicely wrapped packages. It is about creating memories of the time shared with loved ones, friends and family. Precious memories are best created when there is a Christmas tradition as it brings the family closer.
It’s not Christmas without creating lasting memories. Credit: Canon
Whatever the family Christmas tradition, it should be flexible and easy as anything that is “complicated” creates stress and tension. Furthermore, best memories are created from simplicity. It can be something as simple as capturing those moments when everyone is relaxed, having a good time or even cuddled up. Whatever memory you want to create and preserve, be sure to capture it real time as technology has made it much easier to do so either by mobile phone, video or camera. At the end, when all the hectic chaos of the holiday season is gone, you will have some precious memories to share, revisit and treasure as you stroll through life.
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