hristmas used to excite me tremendously when I was a boy, and a good year was measured by the size of presents that I received.

Things have changed to the extend where a good year is measured by the size of presents that I give. I reflected on all the difficulties of the previous year: traffic to work, a boss always in a bad mood, deadlines, insecurities, loud music at the Health & Racquet, speed fines, a screwed up water and lights account and so on.

Suddenly, on that day, it all disappeared: my entire family was not there to give and receive. Some still carried bad feelings and emotional baggage with them ...

Christmas day is never easy, but can be very cathartic. I was back in Akwa in Braamfontein on Christmas night, only because I wanted to party somewhere. Many boys felt the same way, evidently. It was the first time I saw a gay bar so festive on a Christmas night.

The music was pumping and I got the blood pumping through my veins again. The bar counter helped me remember what it was like to receive on Christmas day again. A perfect end to what could have become a depressing family Christmas day!

The sun shone brightly the next day, the perfect opportunity to work on that tan with my buddies Christos, Michael and Freddy basking on the edges of my pool. Lizards in the African sun. I was thankfully back in my comfort zone. Hunger struck and I had to tear myself away from under that sun, in search of food. I thought after another heavy Christmas lunch that I would never want to eat again. All the Boerekos and English puddings and Christmas cakes weighting you down you thought you would not have to eat for months, just like corcodiles after gobbling up an antelope.

Boxing Day lunch was at the only open little pizzeria just off Jan Smuts avenue. the place could easily have been missed on any other day. We spotted Adult World across the road though, which was also open!

The newly opened play room at South Africa's most successful sex shop chain is for gay men only and includes some features we have not seen in South Africa before! Sling rooms, extensive suck-a-toriums, alley ways, showers and lockers for the adventurous, and sex videos playing all over the place. For once somebody has spent some money to make a place look enticing. You can also spend the whole day underground because there are also vending machines selling soft drinks. You are not going to need food and if you did you couls always go across the road. The Adult World play room is a perfect way to escape Christmas and New Year, holidays that enslave you to your family after which you need to get your rocks off!

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