This is just a quick little blog to share what Christmas looked like for us this year.
While I was wrapping my my last bit of work, Rob got going with the Christmas decorating. Unlike Canada, where you need to get your lights up in October so your fingers can still bend in the cold, you can wait until December to put them up here. However, the trick here is making sure you get outside early enough so you can get them up without the sun beating on you.
Since it was just us at home this year, we didn’t do much with the inside decorating. I made sure to pull out our stockings though.
I officially started holidays in the middle of December and was off work straight through until the start of January. After our quick trip to Great Keppel Island, we spent the rest of our holidays at home. I was a bit worried that staying home would mean I’d be tempted to work, but I completely unplugged for the full three weeks.
I think home will always feel a little like vacation to me! Especially when Rob serves me mango margaritas by the pool!
Throughout the holidays, we managed to get out for a number of walks at the beach. We generally just walk from our house to Cooee Bay beach which is only about 10 minutes away from us. But sometimes, we drive downtown (only a 5 minute drive) and walk the main beach. It goes on forever!
We were spoiled with a few amazing sunsets across the holidays as well.
After all of the years we spent in Trinidad and Tobago, we have become used to spending Christmas in a tropical place. But I do always wonder how strange it must be for people who live in places like this. So many of the Christmas traditions I grew up with and that are portrayed in books and songs would be entirely unfamiliar and irrelevant! It must feel strange to them to sing about snow and sitting by a warm fire! Especially since they spend Christmas outdoors, drinking beer and cold cocktails! One thing we noticed this year is that it seems like mowing the lawn is a must-do task on Christmas Eve. We’re guessing it’s to get ready for all of the visitors on Christmas Day?? Rob wanted to make sure he fit in so made sure to get ours done that day too.
Christmas in Australia also means lots and lots of seafood. Rob didn’t disappoint and spoiled me with an evening full of seafood for our Christmas Eve dinner.
Another big difference about having Christmas in Australia is that Santa gets here long before he reaches Canada. Before our families even had lunch on Christmas Eve, Santa was already flying over Rockhampton.
He even managed to fit a gift under our teeny tree.
And Rob surprised me with the best gift of all…He sponsored one of the koalas at our local wildlife sanctuary. He was born not quite a year ago and I can’t wait to go visit him!
We even woke up to snow on Christmas Day – Trini snow as Rob loves to call it. It would have been wonderful to spend Christmas Day by the pool but the rain was a welcome gift, especially since much of the country was on fire at this time last year.
After our seafood extravaganza on Christmas Eve, Rob filled us up again with a smoked turkey as part of our a traditional Christmas dinner.
And the rained cleared up enough that we could sit outside a bit that evening.
It has been raining off and on ever since Christmas and it has brought out all kinds of new sights and sounds. In all the years we have lived here, we haven’t seen or heard many frogs. Our yard is now full of tree frogs and my goodness, they’re loud! We actually had to close the windows and turn on the air conditioner one night because we couldn’t hear the movie we were trying to watch.
Of course, like everywhere in the world right now, COVID-19 is always a major headline. Just before Christmas, some areas in Greater Sydney in New South Wales started to report a few cases of community transmission, the first in the country since Melbourne ended its lockdown a few months before. As a result, the news was filled with pressers of daily updates as restrictions were put into place and the state debated about what to do with the Sydney fireworks. This presser suggests that we might be testing a little differently than the rest of the world.
Fortunately, the cases were limited (less than 20 per say) and contained to a few areas around Greater Sydney. Even though people were banned from gathering at the foreshore, Sydney still went ahead with its fireworks. We watched them on TV like the rest of the country and they were spectacular.
And finally, the most exciting thing of all…my mangoes were finally ready! Being able to grow citrus and tropical fruits in our yard makes me so happy. I love just wandering through our ‘orchard’ and checking on the progress. This is a Bowen mango which is specific to Australia. It has the most beautiful flavour!!
Overall, we had a wonderful staycation filled with lots of great food, drinks and relaxation. But best of all, we managed to fit in a lot of video chats with all of the family and friends we love and miss around the world. We are in strange times and Rob and I certainly never imagined that we would be prohibited from traveling and visiting the people we love, but technology has definitely helped us to still feel connected. We hope everyone continues to stay and well!