When I was small boy in Gdansk, Poland, and I remembered everything, includes the smell of snow, the smell of real Christmas tree and the experience of celebration, etc. One thing that I don’t really remember how cold it was during snow time because my mom has put too much warm clothes on me. I always broke some decorative balls that hanging on the Christmas tree. Even it was so beautiful decoration but I didn’t care about them and really enjoy smashing it for fun and felt scrunch under my tiny shoes. My elder sister saw it and so cross with me and wanted to break my neck but my mother and father loved me so much. But my parents saw it and felt shame on me because I was only little boy. I didn’t know anything about it but they still will buy other decorative balls so I smiled as nothing has happened.

During in winter in Poland, my mother, my elder sister and I moved to RSA in November 1987, and when I arrived in RSA my mother took off my winter clothes because there was hot weather there. I did not understand ‘why’ and in fact I still waited for another snow coming at the end of following year which is as usually happened in Poland but there was nothing had happened. And also snowmen are not there everywhere which means signs of snow will not come. I realised that everything was totally different in RSA to Poland. In RSA we did not have a real Christmas tree like in Poland so we unpacked and built a fake Christmas tree with some decorations. The whole of my family were Polish and celebrated in Polish culture and food but even to those emigrated Polish still doing in Polish culture in RSA, which doesn’t make any different. My friends, who live in South Africa, ate different type of food on each Christmas time not on same and traditional recipe. I saw some ‘Santa Claus’ among the people in various shopping malls, towns and in the streets, etc but only thing that is different is no snow there. It is a hot weather during December instead of freezing cold. The only best thing in this season is away on holiday to the sea or the game reserve, etc. It is interested in picture of Santa Claus in red suit riding on a sledge pulling by deers on snowy ground not on dry ground. The picture of Santa Claus suits best in snow and as well snowmen stand everywhere as a sign of showing the time of Merry Christmas is coming near but remember that Santa Claus and the sledge with deers are not existed or actual true but only remember of the time of Jesus’ birthday is most important of all.

I lived in RSA for nearly 18 years, and after that I live in Poland now. While staying during the winter and I was in a very cold and I started feeling and experience it. Despite, I really dislike this cold because it was -25 Celsius but when I was little boy and I did not remembered how I felt this cold winter but I like it because my mother cared for me so much just like God do to you and look after you – even the best way than your thought. Don’t worry about your feeling or thought but let everything go to Jesus because He wants you to be like a child and precious to Him, amen!

By Bogumil Gieros (D) - 2006