Week 9: Nearly There!

Well I hope you are all enjoying the home stretch this week as you prepare to open your homes and/or drive to loved ones for Christmas. Mine is rather full with my daughter’s 12th birthday on the 21st! Great timing I know. Yet the having the day dedicated to her away from Christmas planning and banter, is not only imperative to the success of her birthday, but oh so needed for me.

The most important part of this week for me is taking a few hours out of my busy schedule to smell the roses with my family and friends. Before the hype of the big day consumes your every minute, make time to just sit and enjoy a quiet meal with those you love. Chat about Christmases past and all the great things that have happened, hilarious things that have gone wrong and the irreplaceable moments that took your breath away.

It’s the perfect way to unwind and recharge your batteries before Christmas is in full swing. For those of us that have children, having them see us take time to relax and focus on them rather than the stuffing ingredients will make their Christmas that much more memorable. For us singles, have a couple of close friends over and do the same.

To do:
• Buy remaining gifts.
• Have a relaxed family dinner ‘alfresco’ and enjoy!
• Finish wrapping final few gifts.
• Go to Carols by Candlelight with your family.

To buy this week:
Fruit
Vegetables
Salads
Bread
Dairy Products (milk, cream, custard, ice cream, cheeses)
Eggs
Bacon
Stuffing ingredients
Juice x 2
Pavlova
Dips

From all of us at the familyroom, have a fabulous week and a very Merry Christmas. Keep visiting us over the holidays as we will be posting more great ideas to keep your family and friends entertained and connected.

Michaela.

Carols by Candlelight

To my family I am known as a Christmas junkie. As much as they enjoy Christmas carols, August is not quite the month they had planned to start listening to them. So I must employ restrain and wait with baited breath until I can belt out ‘O Holy Night’ along with Celine or jazz it up with Tony Bennett’s ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.

I just love the season of family, festivities and food. Around the month of December I am a diehard decorator, cook and gift wrapper. Martha Stewart eat your heart out! But I have to confess my most favourite moment of the Christmas season, other than the ceremonial gift giving with a million family members jammed into my parents lounge room, is the tradition of heading down to the local oval or church where carols by candlelight is held.

Christmas would not be Christmas without this fun and meaningful production that gathers so many to remember the true spirit of Christmas.

Last Sunday night we went to our local oval near my daughter’s school to light our candles (which is a blog in itself...remember to cut the holes for the candle in the cups before you leave the house! Using a set of keys to hack a circle-ish shape into the base should only be left up to the likes of McGyver!) and sing along with neighbours, school friends and family.

To experience this each year constantly takes me back to the days of my youth when the awe, the reverence, the gift of Christmas was instilled into my young heart. I am so grateful to my busy parents who took the time out to sit for hours with us on a rug surrounded by mosquitoes for our sakes.

There are still many places peppered all around Sydney that will be hosting Carols by Candlelight before the big day, so grab the precious people in your world and the picnic rug and enjoy. Don’t forget to take your camera...documenting the dreamer in your child by candlelight as they stumble over the lyrics of O Little Town of Bethlehem is priceless.

Write and share your Christmas moments…we always love hearing from you.