Christmas Day

I have memories as a kid of waking on Christmas morning when it was still dark outside.  I'd creep to my stocking hanging on my door, if it felt heavy and bulky I'd know Santa had been and I had been a good girl that year.  I'd then get back in bed and go back to sleep. 

Henry was first up on Christmas Day (no surprises there).  It must have been not long after 5.00am.  I'd asked him the night before if he was going to wake early to not wake his brother and sister, and he could open his stocking downstairs and play quietly.  Like the good boy he is, he did just that.  Milly was next to wake just before 6.00am and she joined Henry downstairs.  I could hear them excitedly chatting away and comparing their stockings.  Corin and Casper were next to join them, so I got up as well, as did Yin.  Buster woke around 6.30am and then Michael came downstairs at 7.00am.  At last we could start Christmas and more importantly pop that champagne cork.  It had rained all night and was raining still, so it looked like we would be stuck indoors on Christmas Day.

Champagne breakfast:  scrambled eggs, bacon, turkish toast.

 

Just after breakfast Corin needed to get something from his car.  While he was gone there was a knock at the door and in stepped Santa Claus.  How lucky were we to have the man himself to hand out the presents?  Henry and Milly weren't convinced it was the real Santa.  They thought it was Corin.  Their reason being that Santa doesn't wear glasses all the time, he only wears them when he reads out his lists.  But in the end, they really didn't care as long as they could start opening some presents.

It had been a generous year.  Thank you to all family who send presents.  Once they were all opened it was time for the kids to play, while us adults enjoyed some more champagne as we started to put together the toys that needed assembling.

 

It was while I was putting together the Hello Kitty Dream House that I looked out the lounge room window and noticed a large branch from our red gum tree hanging lower than normal.  Michael and I went out to inspect it.  It looked like the branch had split and was being supported by another tree.  If the branch was to fall it was certain to damage our neighbours house, take down our adjoining fence, and depending on which way it fell possibly break some of our windows as well.  It was raining, it was Christmas Day.  What do you do and who do you call?  I thought about calling our State Emergency Services (SES) who operate 24/7 in storms, floods, and other emergencies.  However, I knew they were all trained volunteers and didn't want to disrupt their Christmas with their families.  After a few hours of procrastinating I decided to call them and let them make the decision on whether the branch could wait or have to come down immediately.  The risk of seriously damaging our neighbours house and ours was worth making the call.

 

Within 40 minutes of reporting our branch to the SES, four men showed up ready to take it down.  I couldn't apologise enough for calling them out on Christmas Day.  The head of the team wasn't sorry at all.  He said our call couldn't have come at a better time because his in-laws had just arrived for Christmas lunch and he was happy to be out.  As it turned out, they assessed the branch to be dangerous enough that it would need to come down.  It took them almost two hours.  It was a delicate operation of chainsaws and pully systems as they dismantled the branch in stages.  Buster and Casper were transfixed by the windows watching.  When the SES were finished our side courtyard was trashed.  Michael had worked so hard on clearing it up and having it visitor ready for Christmas so we could dine outside.  At least we and our neighbours were now safe from the branch.  We tried to thank the SES men with beer and wine but they refused and said they are not allowed to accept gifts.  So humble are these men, "just doing our job" is what they said.  We felt terrible, but have made a promise to make a good donation next time we see the SES fundraising.

 



 

 

Not long after the SES had gone Mum and Peter arrived for Christmas dinner.  The kids were all busting to open more presents.  So far it had been a very exciting day.  I was a tad disappointed about the weather.  I had so wanted it to be warm so we could eat outside.  I had fairy lights and lanterns all ready to set up around the courtyard.  Because it was cold and raining we had to improvise and have dinner inside.  I even decided not to do the frozen lychee vodka martini cocktail (I'll have to save it for New Years Eve).  Despite all this it was Christmas Day and there was plenty to be thankful for.  We were safe, happy, healthy, and surrounded by family.  After a few wines it was a very merry, Merry Christmas.

 



 





PS.  Our Christmas dinner menu:  salmon and avocado tartlets / roast chicken with a cranberry, pistachio and couscous stuffing / roast turkey breast with a maple orange glaze / roast pumpkin and goats cheese crumble / roast potatoes / broccolini and peas / Janet Hobson's homemade Christmas pudding / homemade brandy and vanilla bean custard.