First, Christmas Eve. Mick got home early and we had a really nice night. I cooked dinner and we finished wrapping presents for Brian and Lesley and Ashley. Mick got out his vinyl records and we listened to 80s compilations and sang along til after midnight. We had a really nice time hanging out and spending time together. Mick gave me a pink rose to celebrate our first Christmas together. It was very sweet.
Then, when we woke up, Santa had stopped by. :) Our stockings filled and extra presents were left for the kids. Yay! I'd made sausage balls so I had some for brekkie. I called my family on Skype and got to speak with my aunt and uncle too which was great. Mick and I opened our gifts to each other and the gift from my parents before we left to go get the kids.
At Claire's, the kids showed us all their cool toys. They got one of those 4 in 1 game tables that has Foosball and ping pong and air hockey and pool. And Em got a Glee Karaoke game that she and Claire were singing along to. Claire and I had a glass of champagne (haha, at 9:30am) and we had a talk and opened presents. Claire gave us some chocolate and a picnic blanket that folds up. We had a good time hanging out and then took the kids back to our house to open gifts again.
They tore into their presents and then we had Mick open his surprise present that the kids and I made. The kids are forever saying, "I want...." and Mick's standard come back is "Well, I want a Ferrari." So, the kids and I made him a red Ferrari so he can't say that anymore. :) Pics below! We also had crackers, which two people pull apart and they make loud cracking noises. Inside are gifts and the ones we bought had paper crowns in them, which is an Aussie tradition so we put those on.
Next we all got in the car and headed to Brian and Lesley's house. Brian is Mick's dad and Lesley is Brian's wife. We arrived and I was surprised because several other people were there besides family and I hadn't expected that. Brian and Lesley have a lovely house and prepared hors d'ouevres for us. The table was set for 13 people and we each had a homemade place card in front of our seat. The thirteen people were as follows: Annie and Branamere (family friends, especially close with Ashley), Ashley and Tom (Mick's brother and nephew), Brian and Lesley, me, Mick, Emily and Eddie, Mandy (Lesley's daughter), Judy and Doug (Lesley's sister and brother-in-law). I had more champagne, which is apparently a tradition for Christmas. :) Who am I to argue? lol
We had a lovely spread of food for Christmas dinner. Lamb, ham, turkey, and prawns, salads, potatoes, and other various crudites. I'm not much of a seafood eater, but I tried the prawns and they tasted pretty good. The champagne was flowing, the wine was open, and the food was great. The conversations were great too.
I have to give truly special attention to the people and the way they made me feel. I am not likely to circulate through a party of people. I tend to not feel comfortable "working a room." However, I've never felt as welcome and warmly received as I did Christmas Day by every person there. I sat next to Lesley, who I'd met in Chicago, and we talked for a while about the US and their trip. I was across from Mandy. She is in her 30's and is preparing to move to Norway for a couple of years. We talked a lot about passports and moving to new countries and visas and finding work. She was very friendly and nice. Judy and Doug were nice too, and we talked about psychology since Judy taught psychology and had just retired and since Mandy was thinking of getting a degree in psychology. Because Annie, Branamere, Ashley, Tom and Brian were at the other end I didn't get to talk to them as much at lunch. However, one of the first things Annie said after meeting me was that she wanted to take me out for a girls' night out. Aussie people are friendly, warm, kind, and so very willing to help. I'm reminded again and again how generous people here are. It's amazing.
After lunch we all sat outside on the patio in the garden and the kids played with Mandy's cat and Brian showed the boys his model planes which are seriously impressive. Lesley served us fruit and chocolates and more champagne. I got to know Annie and Mandy and Ashley better and enjoyed listening to Doug and Tom and Branamere talk about their perspectives. Mick commented that we were multicultural- lots of Aussies, an American, a Serbian, and a Scottish man. I felt that I connected most with Annie and Mandy. They wanted to take me out this week so we'll see if we can all work that out. Annie's vivacious and outgoing. Branamere, her partner, just recently moved to Canberra from Serbia and he is very much going through what I am- a new country, new culture, finding a job, and instantly becoming a parent to two children when he has none of his own. And that's why I think Annie immediately wanted to take me out. She sees that I am going through the same struggles her partner is going through and wants me to know she gets it. And getting to know Ashley was nice. We hadn't really had much chance to talk and he's very nice and though, like me (quiet at first), we did have several conversations and exchanged good-natured jokes. I was very sad to be away from my family and the US for Christmas, but I couldn't have asked for better company since I couldn't be there.
After Brian and Lesley's, we went to a nearby park and played until the rain started to sprinkle down. We came home, played card games, and fed the kids. Emily gave me a manicure with her new nail polish and used all six colors. :) Claire came by to pick them up. Mick and I had planned to drive to the coast on Boxing Day but the crew at the Christmas dinner changed our minds a bit with how crowded it would be. Bruce had invited us to the coast but we decided to change our plans and instead stay close to Canberra. This was especially good because Claire was heading to the coast Monday and she and her friend were going to leave Boxing Day eve instead of Monday morning. So this way we could take the kids on Boxing Day.
I have a whole post to make on Boxing Day, and today too since I went fishing for the first time and got a bad sunburn. But, those will have to wait because I'm getting sleepy. :)
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