Tips for Festive Season
Bame Piet | Friday December 22, 2017 13:14
Do not try to please everybody
Some of us will be travelling long distances to meet our relatives, old friends, in-laws, as well as those irritating former primary school classmates who always demand some form of recognition. Yeah, they have made it their business to demand a quart, Chibuku carton and a cigarette whenever the opportunity arises. Most of the time, these folks never ask for a piece job because they believe that they will never work for a boy/girl like you.
There are two classes of cousins: those that have it and those that do not have it. The former hardly recognise you but you always try to please them by spending your hard earned little money to impress them. They give you a ride in their flashy cars and you feel like you are part of them, you spend your little money thinking that they love you. Hell no, you are not part of them and they do not like you either! They usually rush back to the city on Boxing Day or on January 1. You will see them again during a funeral or wedding of a close relative and they will ignore you. Spend that little money wisely for January is waiting around the corner.
Do not travel unnecessarily
When you are in company of cousins who do not have cars, and you acquired your wheels during the year, you enjoy all their attention and you are a celebrity in the family.
We all have these cousins who do not mind walking around with P4,000 cash either after he got paid for a tender or after he sold a cow a day before.
Some of these cousins who hardly visit home do not have a place to sleep in so they prefer LalaVuka until January 2 when they rush back to their ‘home villages’ or towns where they work or reside.
When bars close, these cousins would demand that you drive them to their preferred destination for a night of partying and spending. This is the time when you are likely to have a meeting with the ‘black Bull’ in the middle of the road. So, avoid driving to far away destinations in the middle of the night when you could be sleeping to drink another day.
Avoid drinking
alcohol with in-laws
Some of us got married as recent as last week, and we will be spending the festive season with our in-laws. Alcohol is a very good substance when abused. It has the ability to reveal the true colours of the quiet guy next door, the boss who is strict in the office, or the groom/bride who recently joined our family. Be careful not drown in your drinks until you tell your uncle in-law that he is selfish, arrogant and narrow-minded. Remember, he is the one who inflated your bride price (bogadi) arguing that he charges P4,500 for a head of cattle when your mother in-law was receptive and calling for P2,500 per head. The lobola or bride price negotiations had to be halted several times because he would not budge. In addition, every family has this irritating character who thinks that he deserves compensation from whoever associates with the family and would jump into your car whenever you try to move around.
A number of drinks with in-laws, particularly the uncle might provoke your displeasure with him. The best way is to keep a safe distance during the festive season.
Avoid spending
unnecessarily on food
Everybody wants to please their families and some of us will be eating a full buffet for the first time in more than 12 months. Why do you have to slaughter a goat, a cow and buy all stock from the local butchery when you could just buy enough food when know that your wallet is not very strong to sustain you for a week, especially in the month of January. Safe that money for the month of January because you will still need to eat, need a combi fare everyday, and buy a grocery for your house in town.
Time to make extra money
Why not buy beer, or snacks and sell them where there are public gatherings such as dikhwaere or football tournaments. You can also buy a photo printer, shoot photographs and print instantly. You can also make extra cash by sponsoring a local beauty contest where patrons pay entrance fee. Selling braai beef, sausages, and ice block have also proven to be helpful. You will be surprised at how much you can make from these small investments.
Attend your car problems at home
Motor vehicles are unpredictable and ‘heartless’. However, their devilish manners are nothing compared to a mechanic who is on duty against his wishes. Many of our mechanic brothers really love their drink and therefore they would love to put priority on drinks than their work during this festive season. If your motor vehicle misbehaves, and you are sure that the fault is minor, the best way is to take it to the mechanic’s place, wait for him to work on it, pay him and drive home immediately. Taking the vehicle to a garage is likely to bring more sorrows than joy, as it would not get the attention it deserves.
Do not overload when travelling
Many families do not have two cars and rely on a single car such as Toyota Hilux, the Corolla, or Nissan bakkie that has not been serviced for the last 12 months or more. With luggage, five children and relatives who had visited them in Gaborone, Fracistown or Palapye, they are forced to travel together in the same vehicle. It is not wrong to tell some family members to use public transport to travel home instead of trying to fit all of them in your Corolla. An overloaded vehicle is as dangerous as driving with your lights off in the middle of the night. Do not overload your car.
Keep some of
your money with mom
Many villages across the country do not have Auto Teller Machines or ATM and therefore forcing many residents, particularly young men to go home with fat wallets. The best ATMs around this time of the year are mothers. Moms have a special gift when it comes to saving money. They will surprise you with a P200 note when you thought that famine was going to wipe your entire family off the face of the earth. The best thing to do is to put some of your money in the custody of your mother. Of course there are those who visit their mothers in the middle of the night to demand part of their money once they exhaust what they had before going to the bar. Yes, it pains a lot to watch someone enjoying themselves and refusing to buy you a drink when you know that you have your money resting somewhere not far from the bar. Hold your horses, you will drink another day.
Fireworks are just a luxury
On the New Year’s eve, many families put themselves under pressure to buy expensive fireworks either to compete with neighbours or to steal the limelight. Well, fireworks can bring instant celebrity status for the ‘lighter’ but such status is usually short-lived and normally lasts for less than five minutes. Once the fireworks are finished, the crowd or spectators that comprises of juveniles immediately moves to another spot where they will be entertained before sunrise.