Don't be afraid to think out of the box for your Festive Season celebrations. Host an indigenous African Christmas party your family and friends will never forget.
December in the Southern Hemisphere is anything but cold and that means that Christmas in Africa isn’t about snow and hot cocoa. It’s about summer barbeques and balmy beach days. It’s also holiday time in many African countries, including South Africa ,where the school year ends and families take much-need vacations to the coast or the local game reserves. You may not be able to replicate the weather or the food but you can capture the spirit of Africa in your home this Christmas.
Ideas for an African Christmas
- Ethnic Christmas trees are usually wire varieties decorated with traditional tinsel and beaded ornaments. These trees may be difficult to find, so make your own using wire coat hangers or steel wire purchased from your local hardware store.
- African wreathes can also be made with pieces of twisted wire. Add small, colored pinecones or beaded ornaments to your wreath.
- Alternatively, use a traditional Christmas tree, but give it an African flair. Make a batch of your favorite Christmas cookies, but use African animal cookie cutters to cut out the shapes. Prick a hole at the top of each biscuit before baking. Decorate your cookies with colored icing and silver balls. Tread ribbon through the holes and hang them on the Christmas tree.
- Decide on a color scheme for your party. Gold is eye-catching with black and white zebra stripes or leopard print. Your local fabric merchant may have some African animal prints in stock. Use this to make a new table cloth for the occasion.
- Beadwork is very popular in all parts of Africa. Purchase a small beading set and make beaded serviette holders for the table. You can also use feathers, raffia or faux porcupine quills. Keep to earth tones and add a splash of red for that Christmas feel.
- If your decide to serve a traditional turkey dinner, try a cold, Christmas pudding for a difference. These can include a jelly, fruit and custard trifle, a Vanilla Ice Cream Bombé or traditional South African milk tart, called melktert.
- Hand stamp your own Christmas wrapping paper using African animal stamps. Add a taffeta or raffia bow to finish off the gift.
- If you’re sending out invitations to your party, make your own using the map of Africa and the colors of your theme.
- Purchase a CD of traditional African music to give your party a distincly African vibe.
Merry Christmas!
The copyright of the article Have an African Christmas in Holiday Entertaining is owned by Gina Hartoog. Permission to republish Have an African Christmas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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