Another year over….almost. After all, we still have Christmas to celebrate. Given the alarming start (Harley gave us quite a scare just after our arrival), we can only hope it gets better from now on. And so it is Christmas…
Michelle, John & Kit Arrive
We start a fresh on December 20 with Michelle, John & Kit arriving. The house is now full of noise from the three boys that hardly stay still long enough to count them. I follow the noise – my boys are getting to know their cousin so it’s hardly surprising that they’re so excited. Grandma is embracing having all three boys together. Fire engines wail and balloons pop. By the afternoon the excitement filled morning and jet lag takes hold. There are sleeps and snoozes whilst Michelle and I make the most of the time to leave for the shops. After all, there is still much to do!
In the evening, Jason & I join our school friends for an evening of catch ups and reminiscing at the fabulous Kokomos in Canberra City.
A Visit to Nannie & Poppie’s
The next day, Friday, Michelle, John & Kit have plans to visit friends. We decide to head over to visit Nannie & Poppie for a pre Christmas catch up. This time of the year is usually quite hectic so it’s great to have this unexpected interlude to see each other again. Two years is a long gap in the grandchild-grandparent relationship, not to mention the rest of us. It really is too long.
We have lunch and a chat. The boys seem – it’s warm enough – and then watch a movie in the afternoon. We relax and enjoy the day before heading back to mum’s.
Some Down Time
The next couple of days the boys fall ill. They stay in bed and I have time to finish the Christmas shopping amongst a few other catch ups. We enjoy some down time around the house and the kids play in Grandma’s rumpus room and backyard. There are even a few piano lessons and a box of mangoes. When the boys are feeling a bit better they make gingerbread men with Grandma, a much anticipated activity.
Visits
We have quite a schedule of visits to get through too. Once the boys are back in action, we visit Josh & Rach in their new home. They moved in last March but it is the first chance we have had to visit and renovations are in full swing. After a look around and a run down of plans for the place we take the rather boisterous Zoe the dog for a walk to the oval. Fetch is the game of the day and although she’s faster than all the boys put together, that doesn’t stop them from trying to beat her.
I take in the expanse of green grass against the gum trees and clear blue sky with the sound of the cockatoos all around. We even spot some on the walk back. It feels like home.
We manage a few other connections before Christmas too. We visit Howie and his kids (Darcey & Hamish) and catch up in the backyard where there is plenty of room for truck rides, a veggie garden, apricot trees, hammocks and a pizza oven. It’s great to see them again although, unfortunately, our plans have changed and we’re unable to stay long enough to partake in the offerings from the pizza oven and the delicious smells already coming from the kitchen. We have a date with Santa.
Having missed last Christmas, it is 2 years since we’ve all been together for a family Santa visit. The boys are all excited and wait patiently for nearly an hour until it’s our turn. Then they shyly (Kit & Jasper) or proudly (Harley) advise Santa as to what is on their wish list.
We arrive home in the evening and have our own intimate family celebrations. Christmas ham with apple sauce, tofurkey (stuffed tofu bake) and gravy, our favorite stuffed eggs and salads. Dad joins us and we pull the crackers and tell the jokes, don the hats and enjoy the occasion. There is pudding and piano lessons.
The next day is Christmas Eve. We head to the much anticipated Acorn Park at the National Arboretum in the morning. The kids love this park and Jasper remembers it well and it is often listed as one of the things he misses most about Australia. This morning is rather special. We have grandad and all the grandchildren together as well as Aunty Wanda flying in for a visit from Melbourne. The park play is peppered with snack and treats, not to mention some lovely Christmas gifts from Aunty Wanda. She even braves the top of the acorns!
Christmas Eve
Then, all of a sudden itis Christmas Eve and time to begin the celebrations in earnest. Let the Christmas Extravaganza begin! Christmas Eve is celebrated at Uncle Peter’s where Peter and Nicole host the full family contingent and all our families become one.
Mum has spent all morning cooking the turkey and I’m sure that preparations have been underway for days in other households. We get off fairly easily for being from out of town and are only required to bring an assortment of breads and condiments to the occasion.
This is an extraordinary effort each year – this year we number 27, plus Kenny the Wonder Dog. Unfortunately Shane, Sarah and their three children are missing from the festivities tonight as they have decided to have Christmas on their farm. As the sun sets behind the Brindabella mountains in the distance there is everything from prawns to presents, gin to ginger bread. Once again we are all grateful to have each other and to be here to celebrate.
The deck is beautifully set and the the festivities commence as the children take to the backyard to play and we watch the sun set and the mountains grow dark. We begin with prawns and we stand around shelling the giants and delighting in the succulent pink flesh. They are a delicacy anyway, more so at this time of year and more so even for us – I haven’t come across prawns as large or quite as fresh anywhere in Dubai.
We share our meal, each dish prepared by a member of our family for the occasion and brought to the table like an offering to each other and I reflect on how lucky I am to be home and with my loved ones.
After dinner there is barely room for dessert but given the temptation of the contributions, I cannot resist. Trifle and pudding, gingerbread and sweets, chocolates and lollies, it is all too delightful not to partake. I have to limit the boys’ intake after a while. I don’t want them sick again after all.
Then Santa arrives. The little ones are delighted and the bigger ones giggle and squeal with excitement. Even the adults anticipate the fun, even if we do convince ourselves that we are really just happy for the children. Gifts are given and the love is shared.
After another round of eggnog (or gin as the case may be) and we settle in for a bit more conversation but all too soon the night has gotten away from us and it is time to depart again. After all, there is still much to anticipate tomorrow.
Christmas Day
Christmas morning dawns and the excitement is almost overwhelming. We are all spoiled today, perhaps more so than ever. There is so much excitement. The looks on the children’s faces as they discover all the surprises. The hugs and kisses are the best way they know how to express their love and gratitude at this age.
Mid morning we pack up even more gifts to take over to Nannie & Poppie’s. The deck is beautifully set for Christmas lunch and the weather is perfect for settling in for the afternoon and enjoying being together. We eat, talk and drink, connecting again after what feels like both an age and the blink of an eye.
We talk of the year past and our plans for the future. Nannie & Poppie have some long awaited trips planned, carried over from this year when unexpected health issues meant plans were postponed.
Mum is working out whether to join some of her friends on a trip to Japan later in the year and my sister is due with her second child in July. I had hoped she might visit us this year but I realize that new baby plans trump these hopes. I guess this may also mean that my Christmas in Dubai plans for next year will need rethinking.
It is another special day with family and extended family. Aunty Bec, Aunty Rach and Uncle Josh as well as Josh’s family and my family (mum, dad, Michelle, John & Kit) all join the lunch celebrations. Once again, it’s about spending time with the family and catching up on all the comings and goings of the last couple of year, plus anticipating what 2019 might bring for all of us.
At the end of the day it will come around to the same conclusion that we reach every year at this time – no matter what happens during the year and where our lives lead us, all that matters come the Christmas season is that we are together once more, safe, happy, healthy and here.
And so this is Christmas.
Would I Return?
Yes. Nothing I can think of that will stop me.