Die groot advertensiebord wat oor die breedte van die winkelsentrum se gang van die dak af hang, stem my effens verward: \u201cMaak hierdie Kersfees \u2019n witwarm een!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2019n Lewensgrootte Kersvader klou tussen hemel en aarde aan een van die kettings van die bord. Aan sy arm hang \u2019n goiingsak wat oorloop van polistereensneeu. Buite deins almal terug van die genadelose hittegolf in ons dorp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In die venster van die apteek word Black Friday se parfuumwinskopies steeds geadverteer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek dink terug aan die stille nagtyd van 2020. Soos nomades het ons gemasker deur die sentrums gesluip \u2013 onsself beskerm teen die jaar van die virus se stof. Die winkels was stil. Geld was minder, geskenke en die ontvangers daarvan ook. Die w\u00eareld het gesig in die sneeu gel\u00ea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul McCartney se \u201cWonderful Christmas Time\u201d het mense weemoedig gestem, Wizzard se \u201cI wish it could be Christmas everyday\u201d het almal laat wens dit was al nuwejaar. \u201cFairytale of New York\u201d het die eensames laat hunker na onbekende plekke ver van die grendels van die huis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In die kuierplekke stem mense deesdae heftig saam \u201cdinge is nog ver van wat dit was\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Al is die spore van swaarkry, verlies en onsekerheid inderdaad nog lank nie weggetrap nie, het die Bokke vanjaar gewen, ons land se nuwe munte spog met loeries en aalwyne op hul gesigte, Koning Charles het sy 75ste gevier en 7de Laan se opnames het n\u00e1 \u2019n kort stilstand hervat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ons mense het weer goeie dinge om oor te gesels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tussen die versengende hitte in die parkeerterrein, die vallende sneeu in die gang voor die apteek en die veraf ontwaking van Boney M se immergewildes, gaan sit ek vir \u2019n oomblik plat op die bankie voor \u2019n winkel waarvan die venster vol nuwe reistasse gepak is. Ek kyk na my dorp se mense wat heen en weer verby beweeg, sommiges op \u2019n missie, ander kuier-kuier op hul tyd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
En ek dink aan so baie goedheid wat deur ons dorp en sy hart beweeg. Ek sien weer die bekende bedelaar voor die aftreeoord, wat die sak kos van \u2019n weldoener deel met die twee hongeres aan die oorkant van die pad. Ek hoor weer hoe die petroljoggies vir hom sing toe hy verjaar. Ek dink aan die dokter met die kitaar wat elke jaar vir die kleinspan in die kankersaal Kersliedere sing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ek gesels weer met die tannie wat in die koffiewinkel sit en brei. Sy is besig met die 62ste beertjie. Almal word eersdaags uitgedeel aan bejaardes wat in die feestyd alleen gaan wees, verduidelik sy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Toe ek opstaan, sien ek die donasiehouer voor die haarsalon. Dit loop oor van goedheid, byna soos die goiingsak vol sneeu voor die apteek. Ek dink aan my kinders daar ver wat vanjaar weer hul huis op \u2019n spierwit Oukersaand gaan oopgooi vir Suid-Afrikaners wat graag saam met geliefdes \u2019n somerkersfees sou wou vier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
En skielik glo ek opnuut, met die verwondering van \u2019n kindjie klein, aan die stilte en die heiligheid van die Bethlehem-nag.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Die groot advertensiebord wat oor die breedte van die winkelsentrum se gang van die dak af hang, stem my effens verward: \u201cMaak hierdie Kersfees \u2019n witwarm een!\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"d2d809f9-0d6e-4bd2-adef-1d285c07429b","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-45476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n