Christmas

I do not get emotional about family and christmas and all the crap. ...or at least i didn't used to.

For reason i am still trying to figure out, i agreed to spend Christmas in one of the hottest places on earth (just slightly south of the Equator). While the views are amazing, the animals are awe inspiring, the heat is DEFINATELY intense!

There is something about this heat that causes me to remember back to my mother's Christmas traditions. She always liked to have a christmas tree up. THe house was fabulously decorated and christmas presents were wrapped perfectly every time. We would gather in the living room to mock her as she sang christmas tunes slightly out of time to her cds. This year i intensely miss that.

There is no snow on the ground and none is threatening to fall. There is a palm tree in place of a pine tree and the christmas paper is been placed over gifts that have already been given to me...its all a formality. This works here. I just feel homesick for a northern hemisphere christmas.

another christmas

Last night we celebrated Christmas. I know, its not the right day. I could get into a theological and historical debate over the validity of celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December, but i won't. Lets just say that the family has a very open view on when Christmas gets celebrated.

This year, do to the fact my sister in-law is leaving to go to america for christmas, we decided to open presents early. We had christmas dinner (i cooked my mother's famous special k loaf). Christmas dinner involved cooking all afternoon. Salad, mashed potatos, brocolii and carrots were all prepared well in advance. Whenever we weren't preparing, we were setting the table to look stunning. While we prepared mum (in-law) and i would chat. At first it was light stuff, but soon turned into family issues. There is something sinister about having to cook christmas dinner while discussing family issues. The bright side of that is that i know understand that side of the family SO much better.

By 6 everyone had arrived and we started the meal. After some discussion about the ligimatcy of reciepes that came from America, the food was finally eaten. (apparently the loaf wasn't cooked quite right, but no one died so i don't know what the complaintes were for)

And then part that is always the most exciting, we went outside to open gifts under the christmas tree (which happened to be the tiny mandarine tree out back). I played 'santa' and handed out the gifts. and just like that it was over. christmas was cleaned up and they were gone by the stroke of 8:15.

Now that it is all over, i feel justified in getting terribly sick.