I'm a little late this year. Usually I'd have a blog post up before Christmas, but I ran out of time. I couldn't shop early, thanks to unexpected expenses creating a major money shortage in our house. Then, when I had money to spend, I was too busy with work to get to the shops when I needed to. I also had to pop out a few times in the last couple of days just to get things I'd forgotten, which took away from the amount I could do at home in the approach to the big day. In the end, the blog had to take a back seat to everything else that needed to be done.I actually recall writing something very similar last year, so maybe this level of disorganisation in the lead up to Christmas is my "new normal".
I hope not!
Anyway, just like last year, it all turned out fine. I was still tidying the living room when guests arrived and most of the food didn't even make it into the oven until after we'd all opened our presents, but it was a lovely casual day. There was laughter and great conversation, and we all genuinely enjoyed each other's company - which is kind of an added bonus to your children getting older, I suppose. Our eldest two are 20 and 18, so we can have proper grown-up banter with them. Our 12 year old manages to keep up pretty well too.
Of course, this Christmas in Australia has a tinge of sadness to it - much of our focus has been on the bushfires; the people who have lost their homes and families who have lost loved ones. We live in a semi-rural area ourselves and have experienced smoke haze from nearby fires a number of times now. Thankfully the past couple of days have been quite cool and there is even a hint of rain around. We would love rain, as we have to buy household water when our tank gets low, but it would be especially nice if it could fall where it's really needed to help put the fires out.
There are usually positives to be found, even when things seem gloomy. Our native wildlife are popping up all over the media and melting hearts. Koalas seem to be the most prominent just now, but losing so many means there is a push for awareness and to help the surviving population (and their habitat) to recover, so if there is a silver lining, I guess that's it. Our rural firefighters are inspirational, volunteering their time even at Christmas to keep people's homes safe. There have been lovely stories coming out about some of their interactions with the wildlife, but also with homeowners, who are so grateful that there are people willing to help protect their property.
One a lighter note and closer to home, my own personal heroes are our garbage collectors, who worked on Christmas morning. I had the day off and certainly wouldn't have minded if they had as well.
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas day and took time to be thankful for the things (and people) who really matter to them x
*Edited a week later, because I forgot to add a title! What did I say about being disorganised? 😉
