The most different Christmas ever! (Australia 2022)

My first 39 christmases have followed a very similar format! Each Christmas Eve I have slept at my parents and woke up there Christmas Day. As a child all bar my first Christmas we ate at my parents home where they have lived throughout my life. As an adult my sister has sometimes hosted but she follows my Mum’s traditions so it is fairly familiar!

Where as this year I travelled to Australia in early December. I managed to fit in a Christmas party before I went, wrote a very limited amount of Christmas cards and got presents for both my parent’s and sister’s householder (an experience voucher type presents along with a bottle of wine with a kangaroo 🦘 on the front!

All the hotels were decorated for Christmas and we heard Christmas music playing.

On Christmas Eve I went to Saint John’s in Cairns for midnight mass. In a dress and no tights or coats and still church was boiling! Unlike midnight mass in the UK where would go bundled up in a coat. although midnight mass has not been held at my parent’s local church in 2020 and 2021 due to covid. Attendance had been dwindling in pre pandemic years since perhaps that service will not restart; it did not restart in my absence in 2022.

There were different carols sung at St John’s. Even ones with same works as ours had different tunes! Of course Lord’s Prayer etc was still the same. The windows were open so the night shone through. Candles burnt inside. My trip was with a tour group so I had not met people before but it was lovely that a couple let me accompany them on Christmas Eve to midnight mass.

On Christmas morning there was rain; I went down to the hotel restaurant for a buffet breakfast. Then I went straight outside to lay on a hammock by the pool with a book. Initially it was not raining and when it first started I tried to just protect my book, hoping it was a short shower but the drops became bigger so it was impossible to read! At first as warm it was pleasant enough laying in the rain. But as it became more persistent I did move to a sun bed under cover to read.

Once my breakfast had been digested a bit, I went in the pool for a swim followed by the bubble pool. I was nearly urinated on by a young boy in the bubble pool – that has never happened on Christmas Day before! He had been playing near the pool then suddenly went to side of bubble pool and started pulling his trunks down … his Dad just got to him and lifted him away in time! Other people in my group, sitting by the pool also noticed, so that gave them a giggle too!

Sitting by the pool I finished the book Mrs Hemmingway. In the afternoon I read the book the One in bed and had a nap. See Books that accompanied mefor more details of these books.

I dressed for dinner in a navy blue velvet dress. It was a buffet dinner. I started with fresh oysters, salmon and lobster claw. Then a plate of meat and vegetables. Then vegetable lasagna with vegetables, just because!

Fabulous selection of mini desserts of which I sampled a number! Followed by cheese and biscuits. Beers were included. Our group of 36 plus our guide sat split across 4 tables. Following feasting I retired to bed ready to go into the rainforest the next day.

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