Christmas and die Groot Trek

So how was your Christmas? In my experience, as long as there is lots of wine (tick on this, we drank Nic's uncle's entire wine collection including a beautiful 2007 Meerlust) and no family screaming matches...you're doing quite well.

We missioned up to Joburg to spend Christmas with my mom-in-law's family. If you have been following me for a while, you will know that we used to live in Joburg. And hated it. Despite this, like most South Africans, we like nothing better than packing the entire contents of our house into a double cab bakkie and trekking to another province. On the 6 hour drive on Christmas Eve I had plenty of time to think about why we are like this. It's just one of the many reasons I love this country. Who else in the world has this trekking spirit? It must come from our ancestors and their ox wagons and living in caves and general hardiness. 

We had Christmas lunch in the rain, as is also traditionally South African, with 25 plus people. It was very festive. Then on Boxing Day we met up with some other family and they shared a Turducken. The Americans had to have come up with that one. I ate an avo instead, I must say being vegetarian at this time of year protects me from a certain amount of overeating. We got home to find that Howie had redesigned the outside of my mom-in-law's car. We even found paw prints on the BONNET! Equivalent to a toddler running through Pick n Pay with no pants on I imagine. Hugely embarrassing. Yesterday we headed to Umhlanga beach to ceremoniously wash off all the Gauteng-ness and it was wonderful.

PS The Hub came through and got me the Woolies canvas bag I put on the gift guide. Did you think it was a coincidence that I put it first? Never.