I love Christmas. My home is certified Grinch and Bah Hum Bug free. In fact, despite the fact that it is hot, hot, hot at Christmas we still believe in a turkey, stuffing, roast vegetables and all the trimmings for Christmas. It's essential. But a little bit of me dies inside when I walk through shopping centres and hear about Frosty the Snowman or Good King Wenceslas looking out on the snow that it deep and crisp and even. Even the Band Aid Do They Know It's Christmas? strikes me down with a cultural cringe. No, there won't be snow in Africa this Christmas. It's Africa for God's sake. And no, they probably don't know it's Christmas because many, many of them are not Christians. Christmas is a Christian feast not a European thing so why do we have to have snow, reindeer or mistletoe? Six White Boomers can not be the only alternative.
This is why I was just a bit excited to see the Christmas light extravaganza in King George Square tonight. Last year, it was all sugar plum fairies. This year, the Christmas story was Centre on native Australian animals proving that we have enough colourful creatures of our own without putting red noses on reindeer.
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