A different Christmas

Well this year will be my first Christmas away from my family. We just moved to a new city, and unfortunately it comes down to money. We visited them for my sister's graduation a few months ago, so technically that was our 'christmas home', although there were no presents and Christmas feasting.

I don't know about everyone else's family, but in mine Christmas is usually a big thing. I have a massive family, all of which try to come to my Grandparents house every year. So just picture about 70 people in a 3 bedroom house, including about 30 kids running around, and you have my family Christmas. That and there is always heaps of food.

There is kind of a routine to all the feasting: You arrive to nibblies and morning tea, and it stays out until lunch, and then it gets moved away. Lunch comes, and it is not your normal meal. The whole table is full of food as everyone trys to bring something, and my Grandma goes crazy cooking because she never thinks there will be enough food. And mind you I am talking about a table that sits 8 people.

So there is hot food selections, with the normal roast meats (usual 2) and vegetables, and gravy, as well as various other dishes like apricot chicken or quiche. And then their is your salads (usually potato, noodle, and rice, as well as garden salad), cold meats (chicken and ham), and then breads. You end up not being able to decide between a hot and a cold meal, so you have a small one of each. And then settle anywhere there is a chair and a group of people. There is always too much food.

And then a couple of hours later afternoon tea comes out, along with the few snacks left over from the morning tea. While this is happening presents are opened, there are kids playing through the house, and at some stage my Grandma starts a water or paper fight.

Yes, you did hear me correctly. My Grandma usually starts these things. One year people were actually running through the house with buckets of water, and no one really seemed to mind. And everyone gets involved from cousins to Aunts and Uncles, and of course my Grandparents.

Then after everyone is settled the cards come out, and about a dozen or more people sit around the table playing knock-out-whist or black-Bess. My Uncles mock fight among themselves the whole time about the other cheating, and you are usually in stitches the whole time.

By 8pm everyone is getting hungry (somehow) and the food comes out again. All the food from lunch, as well as a few new cooked meals hit the table, and the feasting starts again.

Later you stay up til all over of the morning playing cards or talking about random things, which usually results in lots of laughing.

... ...

So this year, I am on my own, and you can see why I am thinking this Christmas may be boring. Luckily my husband does have an Aunt and Uncle (and their two kids) that live here, and it will be tame in comparison.

But I was determined to still feel like it is Christmas, so I put the tree up, decorations and everything. It looks so sad with two presents under it. Almost depressing to watch. But with everything so different this year I just wanted to have something normal. I am hoping somehow, this 'new' Christmas won't be so bad ...