While searching and experimenting for ways to pass context variables to templates in Django, I found a way that avoids the longer route of passing a custom context function through TEMPLATE_CONTEXT_PROCESSORS in the settings file and using RequestContext in every view function. The approach involves creating a single function that returns a context dictionary and just using this to update every view function where the custom context is needed.

Reality is not that easy
Our perceptions of it can get so messy
But our minds thirst for answer
Our wills eager to surrender