Shopowners at Manda Hill Shopping Centre in Lusaka are gearing up for the Christmas season, promoting what they have to offer in the hope that they can get some of our hard-earned Kwachas out of our pockets and into theirs, and judging from the crowds that were there last Saturday, it’s proving to be quite an easy task.

Daily, from 1.30 pm to 2 pm Radio Phoenix broadcasts the Manda Hill Radio Show, reviewing four shops every day and offering specials, so turn on your radio – you never know what bargain you might be able to pick up.

From now until Christmas, there will be different forms of entertainment at Manda Hill on Saturday and Sunday, so if the children are driving you mad with their incessant ‘I’m bored’, take them down there for an hour or two.  But don’t expect to pick up a pizza at Debonairs or an ice cream at Steers – last Saturday, their doors were closed – nobody could tell us why, so we shall just have to wait and see.

Last Saturday, the Christmas entertainment started off with Christmas Carols sung by the choir of Baobab College.  A hat, or rather a Shoprite bag, was passed around and the money collected will be used ease the burden of four of Lusaka’s orphanages.  Although for most of us it is still a little early for Carols, it was delightful to listen to the voices of Zambia’s future leaders raised in song.