THERE are still a few weeks to go before Christmas but the festive atmosphere is already tangible in the De Jager family home in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng.
A huge Christmas tree has pride of place in a corner of the lounge and although there are no gifts under the tree yet, Amy’Leigh (6) and her brother, Jayden (4), have already written their letters to Santa and put them in their Christmas stockings.
It’s hard to believe this is the same house where there was so much grief and anxiety just a few months ago.
Now it’s all go-go-go for Christmas. “The kids got home from school one
day and were hanging around, bored. So we decided to put up the Christmas tree,” mom Angeline (26) says.
After the traumatic events that played out three months ago when Amy’Leigh was kidnapped outside her school, the young mom thought her family deserved some light-heartedness. And it seems to be lifting spirits in the household just as she hoped.
Amy’Leigh skips into the room and takes her letter to Santa out of her stocking.
“I really want this doll,” she says, pointing to a picture she cut out of a magazine and stuck onto the page. At the top, she’s written her name in wonky letters.
There are also pictures of a kitchen set for a doll’s house and a jar of Nutella spread to satisfy her sweet tooth.
But despite the festive atmosphere and the prospect of the long summer holiday ahead, the emotional scars still linger.
AMY ’LEIGH runs outside where storm clouds are brewing in the distance. A moment later she’s back with a pink rose.
“This is for Mommy,” she says. Angeline hugs her and kisses her on the forehead.
Then the little girl skips over to the Christmas tree and puts the rose among the other decorations on the branches before she and her little brother go to her room to play.
Denne historien er fra 5 December 2019-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 5 December 2019-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
PUSHED TO THE LIMIT
The unusual relationship between an heiress and her husband has taken a sinister twist
HOW TO MAKE A SUPERBABY
Noor Siddiqui says her company can test embryos for hundreds of conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer's. Critics call it social engineering but she insists she's just giving prospective parents the means to avoid a lot of future heartache
THE GROWN-UP BRAIN
If you think your brain deteriorates as you age, think again!
THE eyes HAVE IT
They're the windows to our soul - and the first place to show the stresses of everyday life. Juliette Winter reveals expert tips to de-puff, brighten and smooth this delicate area
WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER
It hasn't been an easy road but now this bodybuilding couple are making waves in the industry
I CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER!
Annetjie's about to get effective treatment for the skin condition that has blighted her life and she's looking forward to hitting the shops and facing the world
'SHE NO THREAT TO ANYONE'
When SA boxer Chris van Heerden's Russian girlfriend went to visit her parents she was thrown in jail and accused of treasonnow he's in a fight to free her
SUNK IN 16 MINUTES!
A sun-drenched holiday turned into a living nightmare for those aboard this luxury vessel
READY TO SMILE AGAIN
A groundbreaking surgical procedure will restore this Limpopo teen's badly damaged jaw and teeth
HARRY AT A CROSSROADS
As the prince turns 40, royal experts paint a picture of a troubled soul- isolated, homesick and struggling to find a purpose in life