Sometimes it feels like Christmas exists in a parallel universe where no matter what disasters occur in the world there will still be sparkly decorations, Michael Bublé singing Xmas songs and chubby guys dressed as Santa in shopping malls. It’s quite strange how we persevere with all the jolly hohohos no matter what, but I think it is an attempt of the human spirit to bury it’s head in the sand for the best of reasons and try to pretend everything will be just fine as long as we can all get together and rejoice for a day. We convince children that as long as they are “nice” they will receive the merits due to them in the form of presents and if they are “naughty” all hell will break loose and they will only receive a lump of coal in lieu of beautifully wrapped gifts….(A quick heads up people – most kids in Australia wouldn’t know a lump of coal if they ran over it!) For 51 weeks of the year we tell our kids that they mustn’t under ANY circumstances go off with strangers or trust them with their talk of lollies and gifts but then we trot off to the shopping malls all dressed up in our Sunday best for the annual photo and pop our littlies on the lap of a complete stranger in a weird suit to ask for a gift from Santa!! We overspend on food and drink and presents and overeat on everything we eschew all year long and lots of families spend days driving from one half of the family to the other to be “fair” and share time with their entire extended family often to the detriment of their own sanity and enjoyment. No wonder it is the most stressful time of the year for a LOT of people and a peak for mental health issues. It can send a normally sane person off their rocker. Despite all this I am one of those people that loves Christmas as to me it means family and to me that means everything. The food, decorations and prezzies are all part of the theatre of course but at it’s epicentre it is the coming together of all the people most special to you in the world and making that effort to be there for each other and create memories for the future.
This year that means we’re making the most of the babies being so small and dressing them up as Xmas Elves! The poor little darlings are putty in our hands, they have no idea what lies ahead 😂..!!
In our family at the moment two people are flying in from overseas for the occasion and therefore I want things to be even more special for them, the perfect few days of Aussie sunshine, prawns and clinking glasses around the pool, the communal breaking of bread and continuation of the traditions for our newest family members. Therefore this year is a little challenging as we are still bone dry with no rain on the cards until the end of January at least, therefore water restrictions are also in place so there is no chance of any green grass for my little grandkids to play on this holiday season. Smoke haze is still in the air although we do luckily get a coastal breeze every afternoon which makes things feel a bit fresher. The flies are here in droves, wafting in from the middle of Australia on the Westerly winds as they try to out run the fire front and just like every other creature, they are looking for moisture somewhere in this wide brown land.
Of course these past few weeks have seen all sorts of disasters, bush fires out of control and hundreds of thousands of hectares of bushland burnt out, habitat lost for so many native animals and fires heading dangerously close to our coastal towns on the south coast where they will eventually run out of fuel but at what cost who can tell. The smoke may be causing strife for some people in Sydney but just imagine what it’s like for those poor people left to defend their properties with a mere garden hose and a 40 foot wall of fire ahead of them….
In the middle of the chaos of the bush fires my cousin’s son Ed and his girlfriend Lily arrived from the UK after travelling down from Cairns in a motor home experiencing firsthand all that Australia in the summer can offer. They had a few changes of plans due to the fires but they loved their adventure nonetheless. They arrived down in The Meadow together with the Westerly winds and the flies but never complained and they enjoyed having a few days hanging out with Bailey and checking out some of the local sights. They were a lovely young couple and great company and we waved them off to New Zealand and the last stage of their trip with an invitation to return anytime!
The next arrival back on home soil was the prodigal son returning home after 16 months living in London. It hasn’t been the blue skies and sunshine he’d been dreaming of but it was home and he’s had a lovely time reuniting with his mates and catching up on all the news. As this is the only time he is back before Sam’s wedding it was a perfect time to arrange Sam’s Bucks and 30 guys enjoyed a special afternoon on Sydney Harbour and partied into the early hours of the morning. This was taken before things got too silly…
So this week brings my little family back together with the addition this Christmas of our two littlest members which will put a new and delightful spin on it all. They are a bit too small this year to enjoy it all and I’m sure the wrapping paper will be as good if not better than the contents of their gifts but it brings a bit of magic back to the Xmas festivities and I for one cannot wait to read them all the Christmas stories and go to Christmas Carols in the park and generally immerse myself in it all!! So from our house to yours we wish you all a safe and happy Christmas with your special people and if it happens to rain you fill find us all screaming and shouting and dancing with joy as it would be the best gift for most of Australia this Christmas! Fingers crossed xx
My Move To The Meadow 