The Chronicle
Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
SO, the countdown is over and Christmas Day is here.
Oh, where are my manners? Compliments of the season to you. Merry Christmas! I hope you have been good leading up to Christmas Day and I pray that this will be one to remember.
Christmas is one day that brings everyone together, be it, friends and family, alike and it is time for showing one another unbridled love and kindness through gifts.
Now, there is one individual who epitomises the spirit of Christmas.
Your guess is as good as mine.
Yes, it’s the ancient saint from Asia who pilots flying reindeer and is a resident of the North Pole.
He is also known as the world’s biggest philanthropist and a patron saint of the children.
His name is Santa Claus or Father Christmas for the laymen, a darling of children, especially those good boys and girls since he always brings toys and yummy goodies for them on Christmas Eve.
Santa may not be young, muscular, or attractive. In fact, he is grey, but no one can resist his contagious, hearty, and joyful laugh (Ho-Ho-Ho) that we have been accustomed to.
The Santa Claus character has gone through some changes over the years and in most modern depictions, he is shown to be this very fat, wearing a red and white suit, a hat, and a long, white beard fellow carrying a red bag full of presents for children who behave properly.
He is also monogamous and ready to go out of his way to make someone happy.
“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.
Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, hey!,” is how the Christmas carol, Jingle bells goes and it is one of the popular, if not the most popular Christmas carol in all space and time.
The carol is attributed to a lot of artistes, but the most popular one is James Lord Pierpont and did you know that initially, that song was not sung as a Christmas song.
In fact, even the lyrics don’t mention the words Christmas or any holiday for that matter.
As masses will heed the call of the “thousands” calling them in Young Stunna’s festive anthem, Adiwele, what will you be singing?
Will you be singing Christmas carols like I’ll be home for Christmas, The First Noel and Away in a Manger ?
On Thursday, Chronicle Showbiz caught up with Daniel, a proxy of the real, historical Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas of Myra.
Bulawayo Centre played host to the interview as we got the chance to ascertain what he will be bringing for the children this time around.
“We just bring the cheer of Christmas for the children so that we enjoy the pleasure of seeing how they react when they see Father Christmas.
This makes more sense especially now when the world is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, we need to lighten things up for the children.
“Seeing the cheers and smiles on their faces makes me happy as well.
Some of them will be seeing Santa for the first time and I want to make it memorable for them.
This year, children will get sweets and exclusive selfies with me just to keep the spirit of Christmas going,” said Santa Claus.
In the midst of the conversation that we were having with him, children would pop in for selfies and a chat with their much-loved Christmas figure.
One thing is for sure though with Santa, he is a workhorse who engages himself in manual labour. He was busy decorating his Christmas tree and he works his elves to death.
Santa does not have an effect on the young ones only, but even the old have a story or two to say about him.
A legion of people spoke to Chronicle Showbiz about their encounters with Santa and some of the alleged fascinating things he does.
One, Rudo Gambiza attested to her mere love of some of the magical and superhuman attributes plastered on Santa.
“For long, Santa has been my superhero. He is the epitome of philanthropy and his relationship with Rudolph and the rest of the reindeer is inspirational.
How he gets to travel around the world in record time and somehow still keep the toys organised and ready for distribution is beyond human comprehension.
“He is a liberal and thrives on putting smiles on children’s faces all over the world.
We perpetuate his legend with every generation. All of the above cement how inspirational a figure he is to me,” said Rudo with a smile on her face.
Another Santa Claus fan, Bothwell Gwizi remembers the first time he saw Santa in 2002 when his parents passed by Meikles Stores.
“My first experience with Santa was a weird one because, in as much as I was happy to see him, I was also scared of the long white beard.
This was a bitter-sweet experience since I was scared of the very man who was going to give me some goodies.
“Little did I know that behind that beard lay a sweet and generous soul. In the family of bears, Santa would be a teddy, not a grizzly,” chuckled Bothwell.
The next interviewee was a laugh-a-minute kind of guy and on Santa, he conceded to sharing a laugh with Santa being what draws him more to Santa.
“Santa always has a tongue-in-cheek way of saying things and lightens the mood.
We live under difficult conditions and all of us can use a laugh.
The old man is so jolly.
In fact, too jolly for someone his age.
There is never a dull moment with Santa and that is why I love him and cannot pass the chance to converse with him when he arrives from his North Pole residence,” he said.
You should have seen how hilariously he laughed when he alluded to Santa Claus being from the North Pole.
Meeting Santa afforded me the chance to remind him of the bike I asked for when I was eight years old.
Reader, what’s your take on Santa Claus? What are your favourite memories of or with him? What’s the one thing that you have always asked from him? – @eMKlass_49
Article Source: The Chronicle