18 December 2010
Thinking it was about time we got into the festive spirit we attended an open air carol concert sponsored by Pick and Pay, a major supermarket chain and organised by the local branch of the Rotary Club. Along with Irene and Dick (Tucanon) we set off to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. We bought our tickets and our Santa hats (nobody is turned away), and squeezed ourselves into a small patch of grass along with nine thousand others. Everybody was given a song sheet and a candle with a plastic coated bag to wrap around it. The atmosphere was wonderful. A real family occasion, many had made an event of it, spreading out their picnic rugs, baskets laden with goodies. As darkness fell everyone lit up their candles. The sight of nine thousand candles flickering high above us on the hillside will remain with me forever. We sang our hearts out to the accompaniment of the Cape Town Brass and the Cape Town Male Voice Choir and the whole scene was quite magical as we sat there under the stars. Two hours later a glorious finale came as we all waved our candles high in the air, first in the direction of Table Mountain and then towards the city, to the strains of Silent Night.
Susan Mackay