Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone.  I hope you are having a truly marvelous day filled with everything that brings you joy.

I thought I would share with you my favourite Christmas song.  It sums up exactly how I feel about Christmas.  I love it, but it isn't about religion for me, it is about love and family.  Being away from my family today makes it just that bit more poignant. Plus it is one of the few Christmas songs that evoke what it is like being in Australia at Christmas - there is no snow or chestnut roasting here, it is all about the sun.  The only thing I would add is the sound of cicadas and the smell of sunscreen.

So without further ado, have a very merry Christmas and please enjoy Tim Minchin's "White Wine in the Sun" ...

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve in front of the Christmas tree the year before I started school.  I got my uniform and backpack for Christmas that year.

This year, for the first time in my whole life, I'm not with my parents on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is our family's big celebration.  Based on European tradition, the 24th of December is the time we have always gathered for a special feast and given presents.  While Christmas Day is still special, in my family it is all about the night before and it is a very strange feeling being away from those traditions.  I know that a thousand kilometers away my Mum and sister will be cooking up a storm.  There will be no room for table decorations because the giant mostly cold smorgasbord of salads, meats, cheeses, seafood and more will fill the entire table.  Most years, even with the table extended, we can't fit the bread or something similar on it.  There are a heap of other traditions, but I want to reflect on one that, due to the lack of small children in the family, doesn't really happen at the moment - the Santa hunt.

As the majority of children receive their presents on Christmas morning, Santa has plenty of time during the night to deliver all the presents while they are asleep.  However as we got ours on Christmas Eve, he had to sneak into the house during the evening.  The time was pretty well known, so after dinner my sister and I, accompanied by a number of adult guests, would head out of the house to see if we could spot Santa as he came to deliver the presents.

We would search along the street, scanning the skies, looking for the telltale red light of Rudolph's  nose.  However he always managed to elude us and after awhile we would look up at the house (which is high above the street) and see the curtains were open and the candles lit on the tree and the Christmas ornaments which meant Santa had been there.

We would charge up to the house to find a mountain of presents had suddenly appeared under our Christmas tree.  My sister would interrogate Dad - did he see Santa.  Unfortunately Dad always seemed to have been in the toilet at the crucial moment of Santa's arrival.

The Santa hunt was really made special by the adults who accompanied us.  As the youngest in the family, and with special guests in always attendance, there were plenty of people on hand to take us looking while Mum and Dad "cleaned up from dinner".

My cousins were brilliant at helping with the search, one year they even managed to find sleigh tracks and reindeer footprints in the dirt at the end of the street.  But the best person to take us on the Santa hunt was Uncle David.  David was a slightly curmudgeonly ex-electrician.  He was a smoker and would use his cigarette lighter to illuminate dark spots where Santa might be hiding.  I can clearly remember crouching next to him looking into the drain, wondering why Santa would be hiding down there.  He would nearly always spot a red flashing light in the sky that he assured us was not a plane, it must be Rudolph.  He made those night walks absolutely magical.

As we grew older and Santa stopped delivering to our house the Santa walks were replaced with a stroll around the neighborhood to check out the Christmas lights.  The walk also doubles as an attempt to digest some of the excessive amounts of food we have eaten before having presents and dessert.  I really enjoy that post dinner walk, but somehow it lacks the excitement that only a 5 year old searching for Santa can have.

I'm extremely happy being with S's family this year, but it is strange being so far away from my own familiar traditions.  I think I might need to encourage S to take a walk to hunt for Santa tonight anyway.

Me and my sister, I'm guessing aged about 6 and 4 in traditional German dress after a Santa walk (you can see our excessive mountain of presents behind us).

Kindnesses of the Season

Lets all stay chirpy like my little gold bird.

Earlier this week my Mum was at the supermarket.  She approached the register at about the same time as another couple, they arrived just a few steps ahead of her.  They had a giant trolley filled to the brim, Mum had just a few items.  "If I might be so bold" Mum asked " would you mind if I went ahead of you, I've only got 5 items".  "You've got to be kidding me, its Christmas", said the man as he proceeded to unload his giant trolley.

I was shocked when Mum told me this story because twice in the last week or so I've had people invite me to go ahead of them in the line when it was clear I only had an item or two.  Of course he was there first and it was his right to go first, it just seemed such a little thing to do, especially at this time of year.  However, Mum's experience made me reflect that over the last few weeks I have witnessed loads of people being kind and doing thoughtful things and very few behaving so negatively.

For example just yesterday I was searching for raspberries in the fruit and veg shop.  There was a sign but no raspberries.  I asked someone who was stacking the shelves in the vicinity if there were any out the back and he replied no, that the truck with the new stocks hadn't arrived yet.  Slightly disappointed I thanked him and wandered away to do the rest of my shopping.  About 10 minutes later I was walking to the checkout when he came back to me.  He had found 2 packets out the back.  They each had a bad berry or two in them, so he gave them both to me for the price of one.  I was so thrilled that I didn't have to go to another shop and really grateful that he had taken the time to do that extra search for me.

Then there was the story about a Canberra charity that was robbed of $1,000 worth of gift cards it had collected for its Christmas appeal.  After hearing it on the radio, Canberran's donated over $7,000 worth of gift cards in replacement.

Now I'm no saint.  I definitely get short tempered when the weather is hot, my list is long and the shops are crowded, but Mum's experience reminded me that we all need to take a deep breath every now and then and remember that everyone is in the same boat.  If each one of us could just show a sample of the kindness I've been witness to in the last week, I think we would all be happier and a little less stressed.  And most importantly it reminded me of my little mantra that is the reason for this blog, focus on the positive.  Instead of thinking about that man who got to his car two minutes faster than if Mum had gone in front of him, I will focus on the shop assistant who spent an extra 10 minutes looking for raspberries for me, because you know what, that shop assistant is the one who is deserving of my attention and brain space.

Advent Calendar

Continuing on with the Christmas theme, I was shocked when I brought out my advent calendar to find that S had never had one.  I guess they weren't quite a common when we were children but we always had them and to this day my Mum buys them for my little cousins.

If, like S, you are not familiar with the advent calendar concept, it is a calendar that counts down from the first of December to the 24th. Traditionally they are a sort of cardboard picture with little perforated doors you open each day.  The doors are numbered, so each morning you would find the number that corresponded with the date and open that door to see what was behind.  When we were small there was a different picture behind each door but when I was about 7 or 8 they started coming with a little chocolate behind each door.  The chocolate itself was awful compound chocolate that was often slightly smushed as it must have been melted in transport, but it was ours, we didn't have to share, and there was a new one every day.  It was very exciting.  I remember hearing that other children would open all the doors and eat all the chocolate straight away.  I was shocked, that is not how they work, did those children not understand.  I really thank my Mum for instilling that sense of occassion in me.  Even now if I get birthday or Christmas presents early I like to wait and open them only on the appropriate day.

My sister and I were super spoiled however, as not only did we receive the normal commercial type advent calendar, we got a home made one from our Oma (Grandmother) each year.  These consisted of a long piece of ribbon with a little present tied to it for each day - although I don't think she did the full 24.  They were tiny presents, things like a new eraser, hair accessory or a single chocolate.  To make things fair we would have the same presents on each of our strings so we took it in turns to pick the shape of the present to open - otherwise you knew what half your presents were before you had opened them.

The advent calendar tradition petered out when we were in early high school I think.  Oma had become too old and frail to go buying all the little gifts and we had become too grown up to have the cardboard type.  Then a few years ago, Mum resurrected it by giving me and my sister the most gorgeous wooden advent calendars.  Behind each door is a tiny ornament that you hang on the "tree" that makes up the body of the calendar.  It is one of my favourite Christmas decorations and each evening I call S over and we open a door to see what is behind it.  He says he joins in because of how much joy it gives me - but I think he enjoys it too.

Did you have advent calendars as a child?  And were you the type to open the doors in advance to get the chocolate or did you wait for each day like me?

Christmas Baking

I've been reading lots of posts about the yummy things everyone has been baking ahead of Christmas so I thought it was about time that I joined in.

My baking, as with many of my Christmas traditions, is influenced by my German background.  These days having access to the German founded Aldi means that it is pretty easy to get those favourite Christmas treats stollen (similar to Christmas cake but better) and lebkuchen (a sort of gingerbread but better).  However one thing that has to be homemade because it tastes so much better super fresh is Vanillekipferl.

It seems that every European country has a crescent shaped biscuit or pastry, many of which are nut based.  Vanillekipferl are said to have been created in the shape of the Turkish crescent to celebrate the victory of the Hungarian army over the Turkish in one of the many wars between the nations and they are traditionally made at Christmas, although you can find them in Viennese coffee shops year round.

One of the main ingredients is ground nuts, usually either hazelnuts or almonds.  I prefer hazelnuts, but that is simply a personal preference, ground almonds are delicious too.  I'm sure they would be tasty with any nut, so really you can use any ground nut you like.  Another ingredient is Vanillin Zucker - or vanilla sugar.  I like these little packets which I add to the icing sugar because it has a very strong flavour.  They are pretty easy to find in good supermarkets and delis but if you make your own vanilla sugar you can use it.  You just want your icing sugar to have a nice strong vanilla flavour.

The mixture is very crumbly, but by working balls of it in your hands you warm and soften the butter and it will come together so that you can pinch it into the crescent shape.  It is important to sprinkle the icing sugar mixture very thickly as soon as they are out of the oven and then leave them to cool.  This way the icing sugar sticks properly.  I always store them in the leftover icing sugar to really coat them well.

They are super tasty, if somewhat messy to eat- be careful to tap off the extra icing sugar.  Perfect with a cup of tea and great to have on hand for all those extra festive season visitors.

Vanillekipferl
250g butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 cups ground nuts
2 1/2 cups plain flour

Approx 200g icing sugar
3 packets

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Blend in the nuts and flour.

Take a small handfull of mixture and work together till you can form it into a crescent shape.  You can lay them quite close on a baking tray as the size won't change while cooking.

Bake at 160oC for 20 minutes.  

Mix together the icing sugar and vanilla sugar.  Once out of the oven sieve the icing sugar mixture very thickly over the biscuits and leave to cool.  Enjoy!

That crazy, frantic, joyous time of year

I know you have seen him before but I just love this little Santa - he is actually a bell!

Sorry about the break in posts, I'm having computer issues and on a happier note the last few weeks have been packed with social activities.  The dark circles under my eyes required extra concealing today and while I would have loved a few extra hours sleep, I wouldn't have given up all the fun I had over the weekend.

I always find December a strange time of year.  There is a certain frantic atmosphere as people rush about, finishing projects, organising presents, cooking feasts and treats.  There is a certain sense of fatigue as it seems the effect of a year of work piles up.  But there is also a certain joy in the air.  A sense of celebration and frivolity.  People walk around in Santa hats and with funny Christmas themed t-shirts.  There are parties and gatherings.  Christmas cards arrive in the mail and there is the anticipation of what lies in the brightly coloured parcels under the Christmas tree.  It is a time of year where amidst jostling crowds of harried shoppers, Christmas carols and the excited squeal of a child who has just spotted Santa makes us all smile.

We attended three Christmas events over the weekend - two end of year parties for our dance schools and a Christmas themed BBQ.  Each event was full of happy people.  When talk turned to work everyone seemed to heave a tired sigh but in no time at all the conversation returned to holidays and fun plans.  I caught up with a friend who I haven't seen in a year and it was like no time had passed at all.  I'm exhausted after a couple of very late nights but my spirit has been lifted by the celebration.

All in all, it is a wonderful, crazy, frantic, joyous time of year.

I love the growing pile of presents under our tree

The things we do for kicks

The final tweeted picture

If you follow me on twitter (@LisaRobey) you may be aware that I am participating in DAREcember - the latest style dare from Andrea at Fox in Flats. Each day has a different style challenge and I intend to participate through most of the month, although I already know I won't be doing it every day, for example I need to drive 1,000km on the black eyeliner day and I know from bitter experience that black eyeliner and many hours in the car are not a good combination.

One of the parts of the dare is sharing how you are wearing the listed item with a photo on instagram or twitter.  Hot pink lipstick photo - no problem to photograph.  Denim - a cinch.  Scarf - too easy.  But today's dare is something on your head and I chose to wear a sock bun with some flowers on the top of my head.  Have you ever tried to take a photo of the top of your head?  It is not easy.  If you don't believe me, here is some photographic proof.

And if you are feeling in a bit of a style rut, how about joining in DAREcember.  All the style challenges are listed here and you can see my daily attempts on twitter.  I have a gorgeous brooch for tomorrow - just saying!

So I got a good amount of hair in this shot, just none of the actual "style" bit

Look at that office wall and a very dark bit of hair

Why yes, this is a shot down my cleavage

Self portrait? Pity the hairstyle didn't make it in - although you can see my normal black eyeliner - day 22 done!

And one of the various random office shots where I didn't even manage to capture a part of myself