I find myself very reflective at this time of year. Maybe it is all that is involved in getting ready for Christmas or maybe it is the excess that is so prevalent.
I have trimmed down my life to the essentials…my friends and my immediate family are what is important to me and my friends have indeed become my family. We live modestly and try not to overindulge at this time of year.
My son and I went to see the David Jones Christmas window displays earlier this month and I had almost as much fun watching the children and the parents and the grandparents faces as I did looking at the scenes myself! Maybe it is because as the child of migrants we had very little in the way of family…especially grandparents so I love to watch the interaction between them today.
My son has had very little actual time with his grandparents …he does not remember really the times when his British grandmother spent the holidays with us and my family…well let us say they would rather be with my brother and his family at Christmas…nothing new there.
So here is what is important to me…the nativity…and my own little family. Sharing in children’s joy of the time of year …school concerts and the delight they find in the lead up to Christmas. I also love spending time with my closest friends and their families…..but I also love spending time alone sipping a flat white and reading the fashion, art and design magazines at my favourite coffee shop in Randwick.
I love our tree decorations, such simple pleasures to be found in the decorations of yesteryear and in finding fabulous new hand crafted ones like my new found hand painted one above and the four hand painted ones my son gave me for Christmas last year.
I love sitting watching the reflections on the wall cast by the tree lights. I would love to know what Christmas means to you.
Oh by the way…if you look closely at the first photo…or click on it and make it larger on flickr you will see little old me reflected in the window…purple top….grey hair!
All photos courtesy of cjwriter [my son]
2 Comments
I see you! Have a lovely, joyful Christmas ~ keep your loved ones near.
First of a very Joyful Christmas to you and yours, and a wonderfully happy and healthy New Year.
I enjoyed reading your post ~ and in many ways we celebrate in the same way that you do.
We don’t stress about Christmas in our house at all. I just write a list, we shop ~ then we drop, and enjoy it! We don’t spend scads of money or feel obliged to make visits we don’t want to make. Our kids are grown up and have children of their own ~ so we all gather up for a special celebration meal (but not on christmas day) and it’s usually stress free and happy. If the food is not cooked well enough, or cooked too much, who cares! It’s the being together that’s important to us, nothing else matters.
I think people in general stress way too much about Christmas ~ and in doing so they forget the real meaning, or the meaning of it to them. It’s such a pity.
Christmas to me, is seeing my kids and grandkids and spending quality time with them. It’s about catching up with old friends by telephone or e-mail or cards. It’s also about spending time at home with P and the cats ~ just enjoying silly television programmes, or reading a good book, or having a nice long walk along the beach (all wrapped up warm). We enjoy traditional Christmas food, and a few extras, but on the whole we keep it simple. We don’t want more than that.
Have a great time, whatever you do. HAPPY CHRISTMAS from my house to yours.
Love Jan xx