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The Problem With An Oz Christmas
It's all about food and drinking. Being small I can't do much of either so I find this kind of Christmas in the heat utterly boring. I remember the UK Christmas being a bit flat after dinner but it had more anticipation and a bit more meaning.
Maybe it's just the way Christmas is these days but it seemed to have more substance in the UK. |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Its my first xmas here, husband is working, I was meant to go to the beach with some Aussie pals but have mild heatstroke so thought it best I stay in.
Up until yesterday it didnt feel like Christmas at all, and then once I got to work it did - everyone was so excited, running in and out of each other cubicles planning our lunchtime drink. I went to Cottesloe, my sister and friend saw me on TV:wub: Its been wall to wall christmas carols/films on TV, the guy who I was meant to go to the beach BBQ with, was worried about me and rocked up at my house, gave me his number in case I needed anything. I feel very chilled out, I am relishing in the fact the street decorations were not ripped down like they were where I lived in the UK, and enjoying the cheesiness of it all - the hype that was around when I was a little girl that somehow got lost along the way. For me the biggest learning curve is that the Christmas spirit so to speak, cannot be created for you 100 percent, it has to come from you and if it aint happening then it aint happening. It will be 3 years tomorrow that my Mum died and normally I get quite upset, but for the first time since, I am chilled out and at peace with everything. That sounds silly and I cant explain it very well but I know what I mean. It feels Christmassy to me, I feel Christmassy and it has been the best one in a long time. My husband is due home from work soon and we are going to have our turkey dinner and then we have a selection of bbqs to go to over the next week or so. Its different, it sure is different but it is far more relaxed and I am enjoying having a feeling that I have never had before, being comfortable with myself and everything around me. Merry Christmas everyone - wherever you are, hope you all have a good day - especially Flea, who SO deserves a fabulous 2009.:wub: |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by Professional Princess
(Post 7098344)
Its my first xmas here, husband is working, I was meant to go to the beach with some Aussie pals but have mild heatstroke so thought it best I stay in.
Up until yesterday it didnt feel like Christmas at all, and then once I got to work it did - everyone was so excited, running in and out of each other cubicles planning our lunchtime drink. I went to Cottesloe, my sister and friend saw me on TV:wub: Its been wall to wall christmas carols/films on TV, the guy who I was meant to go to the beach BBQ with, was worried about me and rocked up at my house, gave me his number in case I needed anything. I feel very chilled out, I am relishing in the fact the street decorations were not ripped down like they were where I lived in the UK, and enjoying the cheesiness of it all - the hype that was around when I was a little girl that somehow got lost along the way. For me the biggest learning curve is that the Christmas spirit so to speak, cannot be created for you 100 percent, it has to come from you and if it aint happening then it aint happening. It will be 3 years tomorrow that my Mum died and normally I get quite upset, but for the first time since, I am chilled out and at peace with everything. That sounds silly and I cant explain it very well but I know what I mean. It feels Christmassy to me, I feel Christmassy and it has been the best one in a long time. My husband is due home from work soon and we are going to have our turkey dinner and then we have a selection of bbqs to go to over the next week or so. Its different, it sure is different but it is far more relaxed and I am enjoying having a feeling that I have never had before, being comfortable with myself and everything around me. Merry Christmas everyone - wherever you are, hope you all have a good day - especially Flea, who SO deserves a fabulous 2009.:wub: When it's your first Christmas, it is a novelty but I've been here 5 years and I am over the fake Christmas routine of stuff your face till you drop especially as i Know so many people are doing it tough. I miss the collecting of holly, ivy, fir and mistletoe, which costs nothing, and those log fires and roasted chestnuts. I miss the spirit of Christmas when you never knew if it was going to snow, or freeze, or what might be in the Queens speech. I miss the real giving of baking a few mince pies for an elderly neighbour, then taking them round and watching their face in total appreciation because they thought everyone had forgotten them. I miss those Church bells ringing at midnight and those heavenly voices singing carols down the street. I miss the ordinary routine of stuffing the turkey, asking who wants stuffing, getting all those raised eyebrows, then piling stuffing onto the plates of all those relatives who you know hate stuffing but just because they turned up at yours, you're going to make them eat it anyway...... Yep, at this time of year, England is extra special.:) |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by cricket1
(Post 7098443)
When it's your first Christmas, it is a novelty but I've been here 5 years and I am over the fake Christmas routine of stuff your face till you drop especially as i Know so many people are doing it tough.
I miss the collecting of holly, ivy, fir and mistletoe, which costs nothing, and those log fires and roasted chestnuts. I miss the spirit of Christmas when you never knew if it was going to snow, or freeze, or what might be in the Queens speech. I miss the real giving of baking a few mince pies for an elderly neighbour, then taking them round and watching their face in total appreciation because they thought everyone had forgotten them. I miss those Church bells ringing at midnight and those heavenly voices singing carols down the street. I miss the ordinary routine of stuffing the turkey, asking who wants stuffing, getting all those raised eyebrows, then piling stuffing onto the plates of all those relatives who you know hate stuffing but just because they turned up at yours, you're going to make them eat it anyway...... Yep, at this time of year, England is extra special.:) I think with Christmas, the decor/tinsel is fake wherever you go, Perth is no different but I love it, I love having it wall to wall tinsel/fakeness as its for a short period of time. Where I lived in London, the cultural awareness/sensitivity used to drive me mad, the kids had to say 'happy winterville' - what a crock, its 'happy christmas'. I hated the way the decorations were taken down xmas eve to make way for the easter, it were as though it was never Christmas. The way everything was geared around cultural sensitivity - I wanted to yell 'Its Christmas, if people dont like it then that is their problem'. Everything we did for our UK Chrismtas can be replicated here. My family never visited me at Christmas in the UK so its no different here. Low key/ barely-there Christmas or tatt and tinsel everywhere and a hyped up Christmas, I prefer the Perth version. Its not Winterville, its Christmas and its lovely - I love the tacky noisy musical toys and how OTT it is in Perth. I always felt cheated of Christmas where I lived before, it was almost as though they were slowly trying to minimise it as much as possible. No doubt we will build our own traditions here but so far, it suits me. |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Dear PP,
Why isit you always make me laugh or cry with your observations? Christmas didnt feel like christmas and not because i had no family here. The opposite is true and i was even more miserable because i didnt want to be withthem but felt like i had to be because it is my first xmas here. my sister lives here and we have never been alike. this isnt usually a problem but now she is my only family here. i was getting used to the fact that we are like aliens to each other but my other sister is over for two weeks from england and she is acting like i am an alien too - we lived together in harmony for 3 years before i left 3 months ago - and she and my oz sister are all over each other and dont seem to want to spend time with me - only out of duty! My uk sister is a right lush most of the time but every time i have a drink she glares at me like i am an alcohol fiend! the oz one doesnt really drink! Yesterday i rushed away from my friends house that felt so much more fun to get to the 'do''at my sisters which i soaked myself in alcohol to cope with. my partner who will tell me if i am being a nightmare is totally with me and says that they are both being odd towards me! trouble is if i ask them why they are excluding me they will say that they are not because i am being invited to everything and then huddling together and taking the piss, sniggering, hugging each other, etc - it feels like the twos company thing except when i am with them individually, they still act odd! My boyfriend thinks i have abandoned one and am encroaching on the others territory! maybe he is right! if i avoid them then it becomes me being odd with them to the rest of the family but because i dont want to be like that, i have to suffer being reminded every couple of days how much they really dont want me to be around them! i feel so sad because the two people apart from my boyfriend who i am closest to are the uk sisters daughter and my mum who my uk sister lives with! who can i talk to?! So anyway, that was the problem with my oz xmas! Lynn x |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by sidneee and kinnyboy
(Post 7099362)
Dear PP,
Why isit you always make me laugh or cry with your observations? Christmas didnt feel like christmas and not because i had no family here. The opposite is true and i was even more miserable because i didnt want to be withthem but felt like i had to be because it is my first xmas here. Lynn x Ive always been a loner and spent many a lonely day in my flat in London, some of the darkest hours of my life were after my Mum died (3 years ago today to be precise:() and it was my friends I wanted to be with. I have learned that you should live to make yourself happy and there comes a time where you have to let others and that includes family, please themselves. Once you get that theory, it becomes a bit easier. Shame you dont live near me, you would have been more than welcome :wub:. My sister felt sorry for me being on my own yesterday but it really was quite nice. |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Dear PP,
Thanks again for being there for me. You gave me some great advice before and you have again so thanks doll. You are very sweet and i feel for you about your mum. Just read a bit of your blog and again you made me laugh and cry! love Lynn x |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by sidneee and kinnyboy
(Post 7099763)
Dear PP,
Thanks again for being there for me. You gave me some great advice before and you have again so thanks doll. You are very sweet and i feel for you about your mum. Just read a bit of your blog and again you made me laugh and cry! love Lynn x |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Hate, hate, hate christmas here. Thank god it has been our last one!!
No sense of occasion We consoled ourselves by hooking up with family via webcam. I got to watch the grandkids open their prezzies. OH donned his santa suit the week before and all the kids lined up on the cam to tell santa what they wanted :lol: It was fun, but as usual totally detached :( Bring on next christmas as i have it all planned out already!! Big tree, loads of prezzies under it. The entire Fleaflo brood in MY home for dinner. Cant wait! |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
PP - sounds good.
:) Lynn XX |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by Fleaflyfloflum
(Post 7100749)
Hate, hate, hate christmas here. Thank god it has been our last one!!
No sense of occasion We consoled ourselves by hooking up with family via webcam. I got to watch the grandkids open their prezzies. OH donned his santa suit the week before and all the kids lined up on the cam to tell santa what they wanted :lol: It was fun, but as usual totally detached :( Bring on next christmas as i have it all planned out already!! Big tree, loads of prezzies under it. The entire Fleaflo brood in MY home for dinner. Cant wait! It must be awful for you, your grand kiddies in another country, of course you should be with them. I bet you, next Christmas you will be with them - all as it is meant to be and it will be the best Christmas ever - as you deserve.:wub: |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Felt as bereft as ever this year. Went to the inlaws (9 hour drive there, 9 hour drive back:eek:) and though they are lovely people they are not MY people. Christmas lunch was pleasant enough but DH's family are restraint personified, not too many laughs and no silliness. I so missed my folks and had to make do with the half hour chat in the evening. The loneliness was palpable even in the middle of a crowd of quite nice people.
Didnt even get to spend Christmas with the granddaughter either as her mum's family is HUGE and attendance at their gatherings for all family members is mandatory (chances are we will never get Christmas day with her) but they are rebelling and coming for a few days this week to help DH celebrate a fairly momentous birthday even though her family's festivities go on until NY day. Next year I am going to spend the entire festive season under the doona and not get out until 12th night:rofl: |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by sidneee and kinnyboy
(Post 7099362)
Dear PP,
Why isit you always make me laugh or cry with your observations? Christmas didnt feel like christmas and not because i had no family here. The opposite is true and i was even more miserable because i didnt want to be withthem but felt like i had to be because it is my first xmas here. my sister lives here and we have never been alike. this isnt usually a problem but now she is my only family here. i was getting used to the fact that we are like aliens to each other but my other sister is over for two weeks from england and she is acting like i am an alien too - we lived together in harmony for 3 years before i left 3 months ago - and she and my oz sister are all over each other and dont seem to want to spend time with me - only out of duty! My uk sister is a right lush most of the time but every time i have a drink she glares at me like i am an alcohol fiend! the oz one doesnt really drink! Yesterday i rushed away from my friends house that felt so much more fun to get to the 'do''at my sisters which i soaked myself in alcohol to cope with. my partner who will tell me if i am being a nightmare is totally with me and says that they are both being odd towards me! trouble is if i ask them why they are excluding me they will say that they are not because i am being invited to everything and then huddling together and taking the piss, sniggering, hugging each other, etc - it feels like the twos company thing except when i am with them individually, they still act odd! My boyfriend thinks i have abandoned one and am encroaching on the others territory! maybe he is right! if i avoid them then it becomes me being odd with them to the rest of the family but because i dont want to be like that, i have to suffer being reminded every couple of days how much they really dont want me to be around them! i feel so sad because the two people apart from my boyfriend who i am closest to are the uk sisters daughter and my mum who my uk sister lives with! who can i talk to?! So anyway, that was the problem with my oz xmas! Lynn x Brenda. |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by bwilliams
(Post 7101421)
I just want to say that that is a HORRIBLE thing to say about your Rellies! You should count your blessings that you have some family over here that have invited you into their home to share this special time of year with. I have been in Oz for 5 years and have just spent my fifth Christmas without any of my relatives here and it is DAMN right hard! I think you need to stop for a second before you start bagging out your two sisters to the whole of BritishExpats and think about how you would feel if the tables were turned and it was you they were bagging out? Remember the wise old saying, if you haven't got anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all!!
Brenda. |
Re: The Problem With An Oz Christmas
Originally Posted by Fleaflyfloflum
(Post 7101443)
Oh dear .. you're not the sister are you? :huh::o
Brenda. |
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