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For me, Christmas has always been about loud and joyous gatherings of relatives. We are not churchy people, my family, and my husband calls himself an evangelical atheist. So our Christmases have been about generosity, sharing, gratitude and loved ones. Oh, and lots and lots of food.
This year is different. Our family is on the other side of the country and we won't be going home. We have celebrated other Christmas's away, but this year our friends have scattered to the four winds. In all probability, my husband and I will celebrate this Christmas alone.
It feels odd.
We will dig out the decorations and make gingerbread and send cards. But how do you fill a whole Christmas day without gathering people? What will we do without two separate lunches, and group present openings, and boozy reunions? I've been garnering suggestions from friends and colleague, and we haven't quite decided yet. I'm sharing the list in hopes of further inspiration. Please let me know if you have any big ideas!
Idea No 1. Stay in bed.
Give each other the gift of a whole slothful day, with dvds and new pjamas as presents, and lots of finger food to eat.
Idea No 2. Volunteer at the Salvation Army Christmas Lunch.
Does this happen in your town? Here it is quite an institution, and I've always wanted to help out.
Idea No 3. The swanky restaurant lunch.
Get dressed up to the nines and eat out. Requires booking ahead, apparently. And if it's a typical Australian Christmas, it will be stinking hot. But it could be quite special and very romantic.
Idea No 4. Weekend away.
For us this would mean a weekend at the beach, but I it could have been the ski fields if we lived elsewhere. Packing the swimsuit and the sun screen is very appealing, but the hundreds of other beach bunnies? Not so much.
(For clarification: for those of us in the southern hemisphere, December is the middle of summer. We still celebrate Christmas in December. And our Christmas lunch is just as likely to include cherries and prawns as baked ham and steamed pudding)
How do you celebrate a small Christmas? And what will you be cooking if there's not enough people for a big roast with all the trimmings?
