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My family would have a tree put up whenever before Christmas. We'd open presents on Chrissie morning. There'd be a hot lunch of roast something (beef and/or pork) with roast potatoes and pumpkin and sometimes onion, with a side of steamed beans and carrot, all smothered in pan-juice gravy. There'd be a flaming boiled pudding served with custard, fresh cream, or icecream (or, in my case, "Why must I pick just one?"). There was Christmas fruit cake, covered in marzipan and icing and decorated with these little dwarf/Santa's helpers ornaments and Santa and his reindeer. Lunch usually ended up being about 3pm, and continued a few hours later with dinner of reheated the same. All this was often in a hot, RAAF house on a 35-40C summer day, or in similar heated circumstance at a grandparents' house. Hot roasts on Christmas Day in Oz... probably not the most practical of traditions. But Pools and surf also generally feature highly in Christmas memories.
Now, I might put a Christmas tree up here... or not... it depends how I feel. I'm sure as hell not driving 1200km to Mum's to sleep on the floor with my two dogs and deal with a whole lot of families (brothers' and sister's) crammed into a small house and getting on each others' nerves. We'll have cold roast meats and assorted salads and nibblies here at Chateau Pompette, and still probably a boiled pudding that mum will send in the post or bring up some time beforehand. There will be no Christmas cake, because I don't like fruit cake. If any of my family want to come over, they're welcome. If they all want to come and stay, they're welcome. If none of them do, they're welcome to that too. If any obligation is raised and enforced by "tradition", the tradition becomes meaningless to me. Most of the time, that's the way it is in our family - they're so busy tallying up the ways expectations and obligations of "Family" and "Tradition" aren't met, that they have no idea just what the terms even mean to themselves anymore ("It's important", but none can say why). To me Christmas is about pleasure... pleasure of good company, pleasure of relaxation, pleasure in the food, and pleasure in the giving of thoughtful presents. Mostly though it's a nice day when most folks around are pretty happy and laid back, the food is good and plenty, the drinks are nice, and kids are in the streets playing with their toys, or families are wandering or driving down to the beach in the afternoon. It's a good day that's mostly lost its meaning in my family, because for some it has become the end rather than the means. But I don't care, as I've no tie to the day (being an atheist), and so I enjoy it as I choose to enjoy it.
Feel free to make your own way here. I'll be here. There's plenty of food & drink, there's the pool, the beach, a place to sleep, and no-one obliging you to do anything and every encouragement given to do nothing. Screw tradition if it's become a watchword for obligation. I'm all about the hedonism.
Cheers,
Marc
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