PREPPING for CHRISTMAS

December is here and honestly, all I can think about is family, friends and food. Here's my itinerary: Turi for 2 nights - Vihiga for 5 nights - Nakuru for 1 or 2 nights - Nairobi stopover - Shagz (where there's an invite practically every other day) for 10 days. Looking forward to that,
but not excited Nairobi's horrendous traffic jam, which starts a week before Christmas, nor the crazy driving on the highways, or the crowded restaurants and shopping malls. So if you could sort out your shopping early, why wait till the mad rush. Here are a few things you could get done this week:

GIFTS
I once believed in Santa Clause; not promoted by my parents but by my kindergarten, Mombasa Parents Club. We called him Father Christmas. In the last week of third term, Father Christmas visited each class and gave us really nice gifts. Nobody got coal. I guess we were all good. I'm sure our parents had to fork out some dough. Christmas gifting became a tradition in my family, but I think it was more of a bribe prior to the long drive to shagz, almost 400kms away. So we always looked forward to Christmas time. As an adult, however, I prefer to gift my kids on their birthdays or as a reward for putting effort at school. So this Christmas we'll be gifting other kids instead. There are so many toys outlets out there such as House of Leather, Toy World and even Toi Market. Instead of waiting for the week of Christmas, why don't you prepare your list and shop as you go about your regular household shopping. That way, you are guaranteed to find the stuff before they run out of stock or before the prices are hiked.  And if you are giving away used toys, then make sure they are cleaned and sanitised. You want to spread cheer - not germs.

WINE
Some of us like wine. Some of us love it. I'm in the latter lot, but I've learnt to take it in moderation, the cultured way. Just two glasses per session...with breakfast, lunch and dinner! Just kidding. In the Christmas season, we indulge. Throughout the day it's the carton wine, after dinner it's the bottled wine, that way we reserve the best for family. So if you are our guest, now you know you won't have the best until after dinner. And you'll know you're special when you see a bottle on the table. When it comes to wine, I am loyal to TZ. And it's not because they are a lot cheaper than South African or Chilean. If you serve wine at Christmas, both alcoholic or non alcoholic, then stock up now and rest assured that you have what you desire on your palette. Just visit Wines of the World and get spoilt for choice (although they don't sell TZ wine). They can be annoyingly hoity toity sometimes.

CAKE
You know about the birthday cake and the wedding cake, but have you ever thought of having a Christmas cake? While it could be any flavour of your choice, I prefer the traditional rich fruit cake with rum, no icing. I place my order in early December so that it's baked early enough to mature...(without rum for the kids). So get your cake booked because in the christmas week, your favourite baker will be taking some Leave days or probably on holiday with his or her own family. Of course, you could get one from your local supermarket. I'm sure they will be open on Christmas Day. But that won't be a Christmas cake. That will be just cake.

GRILL and GOAT
What makes a good roast? Good meat and good roasting on a good grill. My brother-in-law, Alenga, does a mean roast. It's so effortless for him, like frying an egg. We knew his grill was special when he once carried it with him during a visit. While an oven grill can fill the the house with the delicious aroma of roast meat, the smokey flavour of sizzling fat on hot charcoal only comes with an outdoor grill. A grill with a lid helps with even meat smoking while also keeping it juicy. Instead of waiting until the 24th to get yourself a grill, better go searching now. You can buy one from the supermarket or from jua kali workshops for less than 10k.

Tulip Tip: If your old cast iron grill grate is covered in rust, now is the time to clean up. Use a wire brush to scrape off most of the rust then soak overnight in vinegar, water and salt solution. You can do this by using a large unused garbage bag. Tie it with the solution and grill grate inside and lay it flat on the floor, being careful that the grill doesn't poke a hole through the paper bag. On the following day, scrub with a sponge, wipe dry and apply vegetable oil to prevent further rusting. Stainless steel grill grates must not be scraped with a wire brush. Instead, create a paste using bicarbonate of soda and a little water. Apply all over the grill, especially the highly stained areas. Place it back inside your grill oven and heat a little. Use your dish scrubbing pad to remove the dirt. Wash as normal.

What's Christmas without a good roast? It's just that - Christmas without a good roast. Last year a friend's uncle bought their mbuzi just days before Christmas. It was lean. Showed long life and good grip. Tough. Rubbery. (This is starting to sound like an excerpt from a Yana tyres advert.) My advice is, if you are going to be chinja'ing, get your goat now. Take a drive to Kiserian or Isinya or Kajiado...or wherever it is they sell good, fat goats (because you know we only eat unhealthily over Christmas). Rear it in your back yard if you can. Or have it slaughtered and freeze the meat. It will be cheaper and you will enjoy a really good roast just by planning ahead. I grew up going to shagz for Christmas, and nyamchom was synonymous to the occasion, whether goat or mutton. So I take the roast quite seriously, and so should you.

After the holidays, comes the cleaning...sigh! Don't get me started.




Images: Goat on thumbnail, Christmas Gifts, Glasses of wine, Christmas cake, Grill