Tuesday, December 25, 2007

It's all Over!


Well, it was simple, fun, and just that little bit exhausting.

Seeing our beautiful baby grandson opening his first ever Christmas present, and the joy felt by the watching family made it all worth while. Eight year old Blake opening his with equal anticipation, made it very special also. It has been some years since we all got together at Christmas, and each of us felt the familial bond made stronger by being together at this time of year.

If you are reading this, it means that you've survived Christmas Day, and now it's Boxing Day, where we breathe a sigh of relief, with just that little hint of anticlimax.

For us, it was plain old toast and honey for breakfast, and an unopened ham waiting in the fridge for our lunch and his daughter's annual visit. For some, the cricket, or the beginning of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. The weather's good, so they might have a smooth trip this year. Other years have brought multiple drowning and broken yachts.

We visited, chatted and caught up with people for most of yesterday, and then collapsed in front of the TV last night. The man wandered off to bed early, exhausted by the socialising, and I reveled in my aloneness, processing my photos from Christmas with one ear on some rubbish on TV.

Aldi opened only a few weeks ago, and I am learning to make the supermarket work for me. This morning, I left my man mowing the lawns, and wandered down to town to view their Boxing Day specials. I had spotted a cordless vacuum cleaner I fancied in the brochure, and thought I would have a closer look.

Down at five to 10 am, there was a motley group waiting impatiently at the doors for Aldi to open. Two women were commenting they had 'never waited in line at a supermarket before'. How true! I never dreamed I would go to a Boxing Day Sale!

The doors opened and some men, who had probably never graced a supermarket in their lives, rushed in and snaffled the table saws, drill sets, and cement mixers.

I was happy with my snazzy little vacuum, and apart from realising I had left my keys in the car in my excitement, got out in one piece, after a short wait in the rapid-fire queues. You kind of hit the checkout, and feel like you've been pushed onto a slide, with your items snapped through the scanner, and dumped unceremoniously into your specially placed trolley. I found I apologised for fumbling my money!

More socialising this afternoon, and we actually chopped into our ham. The Christmas Cake has been cut, and is very good.

I am feeling a little emotionally frazzled. The effort of getting everything together in time is hard work for my tired old brain. But this year has presented some warm fuzzy moments that I will remember for a long time.

"Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall."
.. Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

Postscript..... Deleted OES snippet as it's attracting nasty people. Happy New Year to you all!

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