so this is christmas

Merry Christmas All. I realise not everyone celebrates Christmas, but even so, I can still wish you a very merry time, no? :)

I'll be going to my friends' house today (Flexi Boy, Gangsta Girl and Drummer Boy's parents). I love going to their house for Christmas. The atmosphere is relaxed and joyous and never stressed. Last year the turkey went in late and lunch was delayed till almost 3pm. In spite of the fact that presents can't be opened until after lunch, the kids just rolled their eyes, laughed off the mistake, and started up a game of Uno to pass the time. Carols, bowls of cherries and cashews and homemade truffles, traditional acting out of the Christmas story (in spite of them all protesting they are too old for that now), Norman Rockell picture lunch, cats hunting the baubles on the Christmas tree (and this year a cat that seems to be planning to have her kittens under the tree!), occasional visitors...it's just a fabulous Christmas. Even the weather is being kind - the forecast for today is 29C (84F)!

I hope you all have a wonderful day, too.

chosha saves christmas

I called Flexi Boy this afternoon to ask if he'd bought a particular present for someone (so I could get it if he hadn't) and discovered he was also at the mall. When we met up for bubble tea ten minutes later I asked how many presents he still needed to buy. He said all of them bar one: seven presents.

It was then I informed him that the shops were closing in less than an hour.

One mystery book (my present), Barbie Island Princess bean bag, sea monkeys, video game, Play Doh, Iron Man DVD, box of sea shell chocolates and bathrobe purchase later he was all set. I took him back with his treasures to my place and we wrapped everything so he could take it all home ready to go under the tree. It was a crazy hour of shopping, but so much fun!

This year is the first year he's had a real part-time job and he was excited that he could afford to get people things they'd really like. Not that that always meant something expensive - one of the presents cost him $80, another just $9, but in both cases it was right for the person - but last year he probably had $50 to spend in total and had to decide everything by price. All three of the kids are like that. They really enjoy buying gifts for other people and appreciate everything they receive. I'm really looking forward to watching everyone open their presents tomorrow.

roll on, last minute shopping!

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I'm working, but the Chairman (like a CEO) always sends an email out on the last day to tell everyone to go home at lunchtime. As you can imagine, everyone likes that tradition. It's also payday, and almost all government employees get paid on the same day, so the shops are going to be busy, but not too insane, as half of Canberra has already taken off for their holidays. Canberra is so deserted around this time of year that some restaurants shut down for two weeks. This is the first place I've ever lived where that was the case. The cinema never has much of a line and you can actually finish your Christmas shopping without lines ten people deep.

I have maybe four presents left to buy and somewhere in there I need to get a haircut, too. I finally sent some Christmas cards out on Monday. They'll be late of course, but seeing as this is the first time in three Christmases that I managed to actually post the things, I'm going easy on myself. :)

christmas music

The Book Guardian introduced me to playlist.com (and many, many great songs), but I wasn't planning to add it to my blog...until her Christmas list appeared. My favourite part of Christmas is the music, so what a nice way to infuse the blog with some Christmassy goodness. Of course I procrastinated, but after seeing a list from Yankee Girl (and watch the clip...it's so cute, especially the ending) I realised I had to pull my finger out and get a list together or Christmas would be long gone. So I stayed up till 2am last night playing with songs to find my favs. Appearing in my sidebar until December 31st...enjoy!

christmas lunch

...originally planned for 3pm (I'm guessing because having it at lunchtime would have meant waking up early to start cooking) was held at 6pm instead due to the small matter of the turkey not being put into the oven. Minor glitch...could happen to anyone. ^_^

It was well worth the wait though ~ everything was done just right. It was all pretty traditional: turkey with yummy stuffing, ham, roasted vegetables, gravy, cauliflower with cheese sauce, etc, and bowls of cherries and cashews, lollies and chocolate. I love cherries! They just look and taste festive. It's the best thing about having Christmas in summer. Speaking of which, the weather was kind to us. Usually Christmas Day is a scorcher, but it was overcast today and quite cool.

There were presents. I got a pair of slippers that massage your feet, a necklace, a handbag that's a little bit out there but okay, and most surprisingly a palm pilot. My friends also thought it would be hilarious good fun to give me one of these calendars. Twelve months worth of Mormon ex-missionaries in beefcake frat boy poses ~ good for a laugh, but seriously not likely to make it onto one of my walls anytime soon. The worst (and funniest) part of it was that there were actual missionaries in the room spending Christmas Day with us. So embarrassing. *^_^*

Keyboard Kid got one of those video games where you dance on a mat and a RoboRaptor. I told him to bring both over to my place ASAP!! Drummer Boy got an awesome amplifier and consequently spent half the evening playing rock riffs on his electric guitar. Gangsta Girl was most happy to get a mobile phone to replace the one she recently dropped into the toilet accidentally. I think she was having severe withdrawals symptoms. They all also got fun presents like little lava lamps and a game where you have to retrieve pirate treasure from a skull full of green goo. It was a fun day ~ relaxing, a lot of laughs, and no drama. Even the turkey timing mishap was just brushed aside and everyone passed the extra time with a few games of Uno and no complaints.

I called my folks and my sister, and spoke briefly to my aunt in Denmark. Tomorrow I'm going to try to ring some American friends (you know who you are). But don't worry, if I catch you in the middle of Christmas celebrations I'll just say 'Merry Christmas' and leave you be. Eventually my late Christmas cards will reach you, too.

The one thing I really missed this year was Christmas carols. Somehow carols were missing from every celebration I went to and I forgot to check out when our local Carols By Candlelight was happening. It was actually pretty disappointing because that is one of my favourite things about Christmas. When I was about fourteen I spent a few Christmas Eves with a friend's family who were of German origin. Christmas Eve is a bigger deal than Christmas Day in Germany and they went all out. We trimmed the tree that night, drank eggnog and ate German gingerbread (made each year with German Christmas carols playing as they baked...no lie). We read the Christmas story, stopping every so often to sing an appropriate Christmas carol for whatever part of the story we had reached. It sounds a bit Norman Rockwell, but actually it was beautiful and I loved spending that time with them. Anyway I love carols and so I'm listening to them now as Christmas Day comes to a close.

And to anyone who reads this blog, thanks for connecting with me across this year. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with people you care about. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas I just hope the day itself is a good one in some magical way.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

christmas traditions

...were completely ignored this Christmas Eve.

I'm into the whole quiet night in, reading the Christmas story (Luke 2), singing Christmas carols, and watching the old version of Miracle on 34th Street. This year, however, I took my friends' kids to see Enchanted, had dinner with them at Hungry Jacks (Americans read: Burger King), and then went home to see Christmas in with a few episodes of That 70s Show (which I'm still doing). But it's not like I didn't do anything Christmas-related...I did visit four different supermarkets trying to find the apple cider their mother just told me today she wants me to bring to Christmas lunch. I never get to bring food, as I don't cook to her Christmas standard. Though in truth they do make an amazing Christmas feast. Who am I to mar it with substandard gravy?

Man, I love That 70s Show. I've watched four seasons of it in about five days. As is my habit when I watch several episodes of anything in a short space of time, last night I dreamed my own crazy episode of the show. Something to do with sneaking someone out of hospital...can't remember it all now. I'd feel a lot better about my crush on Hyde if he wasn't supposed to be 18 in the show. That's just wrong. As are his sideburns.

my week in a thousand words or less

It's been a busy few days since I got back from Japan. Wednesday I slept half the day away and then went to see the Free Rain production of Seven Year Itch. Of the three productions I've seen (Seven Year Itch, Pride & Prejudice and Hedda Gabler) this one had by far the best acting and direction. Their next production is The Secret Garden, a children's musical being done at the end of the school holidays in January. I love the book so I'll probably borrow someone's kid and go along.

Thursday I returned to work. I still haven't tackled the 200 emails waiting for me, because Thursday and Friday were both taken up by a training course in project management. Thursday night I went to see Drummer Boy and the Keyboard Kid perform at their school drama night. KK was amazing, though he performed the same piece he's been getting mileage out of for three months now...slacker. :) DB is going through a songwriting phase, and he's talented, but he sings in this weird American-sounding accent that distracts you from the song itself. Perhaps he's modelling his singing on some vocalist he likes, but I hope he gets over it soon. I don't want people to ignore his songs because he's making them sound affected and over-emotional. The boys were performing as opening acts to a school play called Bang Bang, You're Dead, an exploration of the mindset behind school shootings. I expected it, in spite of the provocative content, to be as lame as most school productions are, but it was actually pretty powerful. Also got to meet DB's new girlfriend. Interesting.

Friday night I went to the pub after work to meet Army Boy's girlfriend, who came up for the weekend from Melbourne. He mentions her a lot at work so it was good to put a face to the name. Her plane was delayed, so I only got ten minutes or so to suss her out, but she seems normal enough. Then I had to rush off to a baptism. I may or may not have mentioned that Gangsta Girl's boyfriend moved into my place a few months ago. Nice guy, quiet, plays a lot of xbox and ps3, good friends with DB (GG's brother) who is now often at my house. Anyway, he's been coming to church a lot with them, and while I was away he decided to get baptised. Sky had the brilliant idea of putting me on the program to sing, but I nixed that one as soon as I found out. It's been a long time since I sung in public and two days was not enough time to practice or organise someone to play piano. It would have sounded like crap, which I'm guessing wasn't quite the sound they were hoping for.

[Sky often has "brilliant ideas" of things other people should do (while she stays carefully out of the spotlight at all times). The last one was to ask a friend of ours (who dances, but is not a confident singer) to perform a singing telegram at some guy's farewell, in a maid costume Sky owns (I could ask, but chances are it would be TMI). And somehow she was honestly surprised when the girl said 'no'.]

Anyway, the baptism was nice. XB's folks drove three hours to come support him, which was good of them. Some parents feel strongly about their child joining a different church/religion to the one in which they were raised, and can be quite negative, but they were friendly and cheerful at the baptism, even though in conversation later it was clear have their own beliefs.

Saturday was election day. It was also the day to restore my home to cleanliness after three weeks of XB and Noddy doing the bachelor pad thing...not attractive. They (and by they I mean XB, as Noddy barely does dishes, let alone real housework) did "clean up" before I got back, but apparently nineteen-year-old boys can't see mould...terrible really, someone should plan a benefit.

Saturday evening I went to the first of many Christmas parties ~ can't believe it's that time of the year already ~ this one for the Relief Society (aka women over 18 at my church). What stood out most was the attention to detail: tiny tinsel garlands on the stems of the glasses, delicately cut out words ~ joy, faith, peace, love ~ in gold, red and green strewn across the table, the fruit punch flavoured with mint leaves, little bows on the back of each chair. Strangely we sung no carols, the only thing that disappointed me. Apart from that it was perfect: relaxed, good food, good conversation, nativity scenes appearing on a small screen framed to look like a manger tipped up on its side, a Christmas story or two.

Lastly, after the party, Sky and I visited Dobby (friend of Drummer Boy's that they took in a few months back) who had his appendix out this week. He's doing okay with the help of his new best friend: pain medication. As we walked through the halls of the hospital we happened upon a lone guy watching TV in a waiting area, just in time to find out we had a new government. A great end to a good day.

Sunday I went to church. The Primary kids liked the Japan-themed bendy pencils. I also showed them Japanese money and some other random stuff I brought back. And tonight I went to Sky & Rev's for dinner because clearly seeing me five days in a row just isn't enough for them.

And that was my week. How was yours?