Christmas is all over, done and dusted for another year. I don't know about you but this year it took until the actual day before I found my misplaced Christmas spirit. It somehow didn't feel quite the same as usual until I slipped out of bed at 6.30am and made myself ready to launch into preparing my part of the food for a party of 10. It may have had something to do with the fact that we had received 8cm of rainfall overnight with no let up in sight which put paid to the well laid Christmas plan of a relaxing, picture perfect Aussie Christmas lunch on the deck surrounded by the scent of frangipani flowers and the rustle of the breeze in the palms followed by a quick dip in the ocean. Instead, the grass was floating in 10cm of water and the air was warm and very damp inside the house and out!
As I launched into scoring the ham and preparing the honey glaze, I felt sure that a suitable alternative arrangement would come to me as I worked. By 10am the rain was still relentless calling for drastic action in the form of a complete relocation indoors of our large 10 seater teak outdoor setting. I set about dressing up the well weathered teak table with crisp white plates, our old Danish cutlery set, champagne glasses decorated with small bows made from gold cord, a row of glass tealight holders and a large hurricane candle holder right in the middle where the outdoor umbrella would normally sit. Success! The rustic table contrasted beautifully with the simple combination of glass, steel and white.
Everyone arrived around lunch time bearing their designated dishes and gifts for under the tree, which this year was a ceiling high Norfolk Pine decorated with our small collection of Danish wooden decorations, hearts and glass baubles. My husband is Danish and hearts in the colours of the national flag are very traditional at Christmas time in his homeland. We have always maintained a combination of elements from both cultures at Christmas, meaning that we occasionally celebrate on the evening of the 24th instead of the following day. This year though we were sharing our home with Australians, Danes, New Zealander's and Chinese family and friends, some of whom were celebrating Christmas in Australia for the very first time.
In some ways the move inside made our Christmas lunch more intimate and enjoyable as candles and tealights didn't seem out of place in the middle of an overcast day during an Australian summer. The weather made for a certain coziness that is usually very absent when it is 35 degrees outside and Santa is lounging by the pool with a cold drink in hand. We had a beautiful afternoon and as is the tradition where ever you are holding Christmas lunch or dinner, everyone over ate and felt ready for a nap an hour afterwards!
I guess if there is a message to all in this post, it is that it's very easy to get caught up in the day to day trials, especially coming out of what has been a challenging year or two for many but try not to dwell on what has passed. Life is wonderful and so very short so get on with it! I hope you all made the most of yesterday as we did in the company of those who are most special to us and took a moment to reflect on what is truly important, family, friends, health, peace and love.
