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I have been pulled up on my language many times. There are some words that just come out. Like sand through the hourglass, they seem to flow, and the more I try to keep them in, the harder they fight to jump out.
One that strikes fear into many hearts is the nasty C word. Get your minds out of the gutter, I’m not that bad — it’s Christmas.
Before we knew it, Christmas is on top of us, which is the official start of a huge chain of events. The domino that seems to topple down, knock others like NYE, Australia Day, Mardi Gras launch, a bag of Mardi Gras events, Parade, Party. Before we know it it’s April and we’re thinking about chocolate eggs and the Easter Bunny. Digging deeper and deeper into our purses each time.
Trying to beat the hype, I’m doing a low-key luncheon at my house, instead of travelling down the south coast to the family. It’s just another day. I will talk to the family but there isn’t a dire need to travel the three hours by train to be stuck in a house, staring at each other once you have nothing else to say, eating too much then plonking in front of the television, then back on the train. After two hours, I start to pace up and down the lounge room like a caged tiger, desperately trying to come up with an escape plan that won’t hurt anyone’s feelings.
The menu is very traditional, with devilled eggs leading the charge, Fuchsia’s world-famous (and a little scary) Dutch potato salad, sunshine salad, whatever I can cook the night before, punch and loaded trifle (don’t drive for at least five hours after consuming).
We usually fill up on chips and dips before lunch has even started, choosing to nibble when lunch actually arrives. After an hour or so of grazing, everything goes in the bin and off to the beach we go, to breathe in our expanding Christmas lunch-filled bellies with all the beautiful people.
As I said, it’s just another day!
This is my last column for 2009. I will be joining the Star Observer team again in the new year. Thank you to all my readers, the good and the bad, it is a joy to hear that you read what I write each week.
Have a magical Christmas, doing your own thing or venturing to a family get-together. I will see you all in 2010 — ‘The Year of Darlinghurst’. I think there’s something in that!