What a joy to lie in bed this morning, savouring the quiet before heading into the day, listening to one of my friendly early morning greeters in the tea tree outside my window. At least he didn’t wake me at And so this special day of the year began with our village Christmas morning service, a very low key family gathering with kids ‘show and tell’ of the gifts they had received, carol singing and an impromptu Australian nativity play where I couldn’t resist stuffing my jacket up my jumper to play Mary, albeit one old enough to be her grandmother. A simple message as stars were distributed told of the star long ago which led the Magi to find Jesus, and how taking home a star can be a constant reminder in the year to come that maybe we can be the means by which someone can be led in the right direction as they also search for Jesus and the life he brings.
A sumptuous afternoon tea with friends, then a trip to Launceston to take an elderly friend to dinner with her relatives, whereupon I whiled away an enjoyable couple of hours on the boardwalk at Seaport, admiring the yachts actually floating in their moorings, as opposed to their daily sitting on the silt at low tide. Fellow walkers out with their dogs or simply enjoying the mild evening or walking off their lunch or dinner or both were more than happy to share Christmas greetings, my picnic tea was more then satisfactory while I read my book, and the beautiful sunset as we returned home topped off what for me had been quite a different Christmas Day to the norm.
Just the right amount of companionship and an even balance of solitude. I spent more time alone this Christmas Day than usual which was intentional, but it certainly wasn’t tinged with loneliness which can be the burden of many who associate Christmas with feeling disconnected, unwanted, and with little prospect for that to change.
As we get to the end of the day and wonder at the wisdom, or lack of it, of having that extra piece of turkey or plum pudding or chocolate, then having the afternoon backyard cricket match on top of it, spare a thought for one of our Aussie icons whose diet today will be no different than on any other, and whose activity level will probably be just as lazy as it always is.
Eucalyptus Christmas
The native born koala lives
inside a eucalyptus.
He sleeps in it at night and then
he eats his bed for breakfast.
His morning tea is eucalypt,
then eucalyptus brunch.
Perhaps he’ll pick some eucalypt
just in time for lunch.
Dinner will be similar,
supper’s eucalyptus,
And then he can look forward to
A Eucalyptus Christmas!
Stephen Axelsen (from An Australian Christmas Collection – Gwenda Hardie)
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