Favourite Christmas Carol … O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Actually, for a long time, I didn't enjoy Christmas Carols. Probably because I find so many are either too high or too low to sing comfortably (and playing them on the piano generally wasn't much fun either - I heard Son#4 complaining not so many days ago about having to play them on the guitar for church so it's not just me who dislikes playing them) but I can sing this one (preferably when no one is listening) and I love the words.
Favourite Christmas Book … Halos by Kristen Heitzmann. I've just reread it again. (Mind you, many of my books are still packed away in boxes so I didn't have a huge choice but I would have chosen this one anyway.)
Favourite Christmas Gift … Over the years I've received a number of gifts that have been special from jewellery from DH to photos of the grandkids to handmade items from our boys when they were little and even now that they are bigger but the best gift of all has to be the reason we celebrate Christmas: God's Son wrapped in human form and come to earth to be the Saviour of the World.
Most Memorable Christmas … Two come to mind: waking up Christmas Day 1974 to the news that Cyclone Tracy had devastated Darwin (it was the first time tragedy had entered my consciousness and I still can remember the News report showing a destroyed home and family Christmas gifts strewn about); travelling over 1 000 km to spend Christmas with my mother's friends only to have a flat tyre in the rain that had to be changed with Mum holding the beach umbrella over the car and Dad while he removed everything from the boot [trunk] including presents to get to the spare tyre and then only half an hour from our destination being turned back due to heavy flooding and having to spend Christmas Eve in a strange motel miles from anywhere.
Most Forgettable Christmas … The year my Granddad spent Christmas in Hospital. We visited him in the afternoon during visiting hours but there were a lot of other things going on that year that made it a Christmas I'd rather not remember.
Favourite Christmas Food … Ah, so many. I love turkey. And pavlova. And all the salads (how my grandmother protested when we first dropped hot roast veges in favour of salads but what a wise choice it was given Australia's heat - and we never went back although I tend to do a mix of hot and cold vegetable dishes nowadays). And roast kumara. And Mazurka which I didn't make this year because DH made a Chocolate Fruit Cake instead (but I'm already missing the Mazurka). When I was a child Christmas was the only time we got to eat yummy things like salted cashews.
Favourite Christmas Scripture … For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6, NKJV
Favourite Christmas Activity … As a child the men used to gather to watch the cricket on Telly. B-o-r-i-n-g! I used to look forward to going to my father's sister's place in the evening where we got to swim in their inground pool. (That was a super big deal at the time.)
Childhood Christmases … Open our stockings first thing in the morning followed by Church where Mum usually roped me - and sometimes my sister - into doing some kind of item during the service. Midday meal was usually spent with my Mum's family and much younger cousins at our house while at night we generally went to my Dad's sister where we were in awe of our much older cousins.
Favourite Childhood Tradition: In this case, most memorable. Every year when my Mum and Nana served up the Christmas Pud they would remind the children to be careful because there were coins in it and every year my Granddad would pretend to choke on one of those coins and every year - as kids - we would fall for it and wonder if this was the year Granddad was going to expire at the Christmas Dinner Table. Sadly, he died six months after my wedding (we were actually married on his birthday) and the tradition of the coins died with him. My kids have never had coins in their puddings that I can remember.
Ham or Turkey? … I love both but if I had to choose, it would be turkey.
Real or Artificial Tree? … Artificial as a child growing up and for some of our married life. Then moved to real trees which I love but they do cause hay fever and drop needles everywhere. This year we are using the driftwood tree that we made several years ago.
Favourite Christmas Tradition … Making Christmas Puddings with the family. It started out as just DH and I the first year we were married using his mother's recipe (or should I say, ingredient list, because there were no real instructions apart from Boil for 6-8 hours and on the day boil for another hour.) We included our children as they each came along. When our grandchildren began arriving, our younger sons helped the next generation, whereas now, it's the older grandchildren helping the younger grandchildren. I don't think we have ever skipped a year making Christmas pudding - even the year DH was working away from home, there were bushfires all around, and I was a month off giving birth: somehow we managed to make one even then. (Incidentally, I'm not sure if anyone in our family apart from DH really enjoys eating Christmas Pudding but we continue to make it all the same.)
Favourite Christmas Symbols: Flowering NSW Christmas Bush and Pohutakawa (NZ Christmas Tree) with their pretty red flowers against green leaves, and stars and hearts in all shapes and sizes. I also love my Nativity Scenes and especially the way The Most Adorable Granddaughters in the World arrange the various pieces.
Now it's your turn to share about Christmas …
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