Smaller family Christmas gatherings in store this year

Family time and less travel. That's the forecast for the festive season this year.

Pleasure Masina, who works as a store manager, said staying safe amid the Covid-19 pandemic means she is going to spend her Christmas in her Gauteng home with her husband and children.

“I am not going to travel. It's going to be a different Christmas because always all families spend time in one place. Now that won't happen; each family will have to spend it alone,” said the mom from Atteridgeville, Pretoria.

Hellen Matlala, also from Atteridgeville, said travelling during the festive season was not in store for her either.

The 59-year-old said she will spend December at work in Gauteng.

“This Christmas will be different because it is going to limit family visitation, it won't be like old times where we hold big family gatherings,” she said.

Elizabeth Seragke, from Soshanguve, said she too was going to spend Christmas with close family.

The 44-year-old said although she is grateful for a lot, the pandemic has brought financial difficulties into her family life.

“It was tough. My husband was told to stay at home but he was then called back [to work] again, but for me, they haven't called me back to come to work,” she said.

Bucking the trend is Keagile Mohale from Soweto, who says he will be going on a boys' trip to Limpopo with his friends.

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