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A while ago I did a Christmas Down Under Take, about the many ways in which Aussies celebrate Christmas, but I thought it'd be nice to share some of my family's traditions around this holiday.
I'm going to do this in sequential order, and without any further ado, let's get right into this.
The Christmas Pageant
All throughout November and in the lead up to December, Christmas Pageants are held in most suburbs, along with a major one in the city centre. Every year, we'll grab our deck chairs and get up at the crack of dawn to get a good seat to watch the pageant with the family.
The Tree and Lights
After we go to the Christmas pageant in the morning, we come home, and on that same day, put up our Christmas Tree while my dad puts up the Christmas lights on the house. As much as I'd like to share a photo with you of what my Christmas lights look like, I don't think it's a good idea at all to post photos of my house on the internet, no less G@G, so instead, here's a photo of the Griswold's house to enjoy (which don't look nearly as spectacular as mine, but oh well).
Every year without fail, my sister and I fight over who's going to put the star on the top of the Christmas tree, and this year, she won. :( But I always have next year! :P
^^ That's my Christmas tree. It's not perfect, and certainly not colour coordinated like all of those fancy Christmas trees you see in ads, but in my eyes, it's absolutely beautiful, especially because most of the ornaments hold a lot of significance for both me and my family.
The City Tree
Each year, on the 1st of December, a 32-metre tree is erected in the city centre, which we always try to make an effort to see it being turned on or at least watch it on the news. During the day it looks pretty ordinary, but at night, it glows wonderfully and lights up most of the city.
The Magic Cave
Most department stores have a temporary Santa photo op, but as a child, nothing rivaled the Magic Cave. It was a section of the store dedicated to Christmas, with lucky dip gifts available for purchase, along with rides on the horse figurines that rock back and forth, the merry go round (pictured) and cute little window displays more often than not featuring elves. I've been every year for as long as I can remember, and I still get half-forced to go with my sister (although I refuse to sit on Santa's lap).
Christmas Tunes
All through December, we put on our Christmas CDs that feature Michael Buble, Mickey Mouse and friends, Christmas Classics, and also the recent addition of Idina Menzel and Pentatonix.
Speaking of which, enjoy this latest Christmas release from PTX!
The Lights
Every year in early December, we make an effort to go for a drive to visit all the Christmas light hotspots, which usually lasts for several hours and results in my sister falling asleep and me whining about how I'm hungry and talking about how convenient the stalls of popcorn and fairy floss on the roadside are.
Ice Skating
It may be Summer in Australia for the holidays, but this doesn't stop us from going to ice rinks, either the permanent indoor rink, or one of the several pop-up rinks held in tents at local parks.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is actually when the big family festivities happen. We spend the evening with my mother's side of the family, who also happens to be Italian. So this means lots of family, and copious amounts of food, which somehow still manage to get eaten.
Gifts are exchanged, family drama is on a never-ending cycle, but as cheesy as it is, it's truly one of the happiest times of year for me.
At the end of the night, my sister and I are both tucked into bed with full stomachs and a smile on our face, with dreams of what 'Santa' might bring tomorrow morning.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is actually a lot smaller than the night before, as many of my mother's brothers have been divorced several times, so their children (my cousins) go to spend Christmas Day with their mothers.
We all meet for lunch and everyone brings a few dishes, and we're extremely lucky that the weather has always been good enough that we can eat outside.
I don't think there has ever been more than 10 people present for our Christmas lunch, but I don't mind it as it's much more relaxed, which is needed after the crazy celebration from the night before. It's usually held at my Aunt or my house, and after we stuff ourselves with *more* food, this is followed by the older relatives falling asleep on the couch, while the younger family members go for a swim.
Boxing Day
On Boxing day, we meet up as an extended family (with all the people from Christmas Eve) and go see a movie together. We usually end up taking up a whole row of seats in the cinema, if we're lucky enough to get seats together.
Generally, we end up putting most of our Christmas decorations away mid-January, with my mum's argument being, "we went to all this effort to put the decorations up, what's the point if we can't appreciate them for a while?"
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And so, that concludes my Take about my family's Christmas traditions. If you have any of your own, please feel free to share.
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