Freewriting Friday — Traditional Australian Christmas

Well maybe not completely traditional but traditional in my family.

Firstly, I never put a Christmas tree up until December — usually the first or second weekend. It’s a real Christmas Australian tree — not a pine tree — it’s a she-oak. It grows in creek beds and by the side of the road. It’s a very common tree in Australia. I hate fake trees. I miss the fragrance of the real ones.

It’s an adventure taking the kids out into the bush to find a suitable tree. These days we usually just get a branch of a tree — you know so we are not destroying the Australian bush. We decorate the tree with baubles, tinsel, and lights — tangled lights are a pain in the butt, but you know, it’s all for the kids.

I used to love Christmas. When I had kids. All my kids have been grown up for several years now and Christmas has lost its lustre for me. Most Christmases I head to Europe for a cold snowy Christmas — mulled spiced wine, Christmas markets, Christmas street lights, and crackling log fires.

Here in Australia, it’s bloody hot at Christmas time, so Christmas lunch is usually cold ham, chicken, pork, prawns, and an array of salads. If we’re lucky we may have some Moreton Bay bugs and oysters. For dessert, we have plum pudding, ice cream, cream, and custard. An Australian variation of this is the frozen plum pudding which I absolutely love — my niece usually makes a big one.

When my kids were little, they would get presents from Santa in a sack (pillowcase) at the bottom of their bed.

Then we would all exchange presents which had been placed underneath the Christmas tree. Everyone in the family would give a present to everyone else in the family so, with six kids, it was a lot of presents. After handing out presents, the whole family, my brothers, nieces, and nephews would all head to my sister’s for Christmas Day.

We would swim in her pool, play boules, and if it was hot, play cards under a tarpaulin in the yard. My brother-in-law would put a sprinkler over the top of the tarp to try and keep it cool. Ah, those were the days.

This Christmas will be the first Christmas that I’m looking forward to in a long time. We are having a no-present Christmas except for my grandson who’s getting lots — too much if you ask me. From me, he’s getting some of my collection of children’s books. I have hundreds, so why would I buy him more? The ones I have are classics.

This Christmas I am going to my daughter’s sister-in-law’s for Christmas Day after opening Caelin’s presents in the morning. This will be a bit different from our normal family Christmas. On Boxing Day, we are going to my niece’s for our family get-together. Only family members who are fully vaccinated will be allowed into her house and she’s put that on the invitation so everyone knows. It will be quite a big gathering, so I completely understand.