Heavenly Beverley : The Complexity of Christmas

The Festive Season is supposed to be one of joy and goodwill, family and friends, sharing and caring with whom we love and cherish. Without any particular emphasis, the Christmas story remains one of my favourites. The tale of a thoroughly earthly couple having their baby in less than ideal conditions gathered with farm animals in a stable and visited by angels, shepherds and Eastern Princes is simply enchanting to me. I love the mystique, the charm and the idealism. I think we all need a taste of this from time to time.

However, the Christmas period can also be one of angst, regret, loneliness and exhaustion. On Thursday, I ventured to the wilds of the Big Smoke to pick up Vanesa, finish the Christmas shopping and restock the fridge and pantry. Being only 6 December, the carparks weren't completely jammed yet. However, navigating Midland Gate shopping centre was less than pleasant, given the crowds already joggling their way through the general routes from one end to the other. Thank heavens for Vanessa's help in being packhorse, compass and the voice of reason.

Staggering out of this retail juggernaut, we made what I hoped would be a quick detour to Spotlight for two sheet sets on special. Charging out of the car into the megastore, I snagged my Christmas Tree necklace on my seatbelt. Disaster! I watched all the tiny beads (millions of them...) scattering absolutely everywhere, in the car, down my boobs and all over the carpark. Beads jiggling inside my magnificent bra was the weirdest sensation.

Spotlight was jumping, the mostly women shoppers jostling for bargains, the queue was growing and there was one single checkout chick on the registers. As the queue lengthened, a second operator arrived. Getting out of Spotlight alive was one achievement; getting onto the very busy Clayton Street was another. For some extraordinary reason, the town planners had allowed an exit from a group of major retailers at the exact location of the junction of a right-hand turn onto Military Road with two lanes of traffic trying to merge into one. Attempting to enter a solid line of heavy traffic was farcical. All I could do was breathe deeply and calmly and wait for an opening.

Situations such as this add to the population's frustration levels. We all allocate ourselves a particular timeframe to go Christmas shopping. This period is never long enough, even if we have given ourselves what appears to be overly generous. Then there are the unruly scuffles for popular items, scandalous prices that are jacked up for the holiday frenzy or no available stock until January. Christmas shopping can turn even the most tolerant of people into short-tempered and unreasonable fiends.

We finished our food shopping well away from the crazy mega-centres on the Plains. From past experience, I chose to avoid the supermarkets in large centres, retreating to a Hills Woolies instead. This part of the task was actually remarkably pleasant and since we began our Mediterranean diet, I love buying fruit and vegetables. Then there are always the delicacies we can eat in moderation at Hills Fresh too - meats, cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes to name a few delights.

Home without further ado. Unpacking took most of the evening. I'd indulged us with pizza from Hills Fresh, so dinner was a breeze.

The evening proceded. Michael's mood was variable. He was still feeling lost after the lack of contact from his family following his nephew's wedding. His self-esteem low and a bottle of red led to a particularly ridiculous argument. I went to bed, feeling hurt. He came to bed, feeling hurt. We slept, feeling hurt. In the morning, we talked, reflected, made up and resolved not to engage in pointless spats at night...

Fast forward three days. We are relaxing in the bosom of Callum and Bronwyn's lovely home. We enjoyed a fabulous first Christmas dinner with them last evening and had our first present opening. With sneaky consultation, I'd organised our present from the kids - a telescope that works for both land viewing and the night sky. I watched Michael's face as he unwrapped the enormous parcel. He'd no idea - "Unreal!" was his exact word.

We are here until Wednesday, when Michael has carpel tunnel surgery. So, we are having a mini-break in the Big Smoke. This morning has been slow and easy. We finished a late breakfast just before noon. A touch of food shopping this afternoon, as I'm preparing dinner on Monday and Tuesday nights. Seeing a movie is also on the agenda, along with arranging a reprint of our cards. Quite a change from our normal routine.

Next weekend sees our Famous 4th Birthday Sundowner. A combination of a pastel demonstration with Brian Aylward, a SURPRISE early appearance by Santa, a sausage sizzle and live music are all scheduled. This promises to be a fantastic evening. Come and join us!

From there, we will participate in a figurative sleigh ride until Christmas Eve. The Gallery is crammed with original art pieces, all of which could become ideal presents for that special person in everybody's lives. Closing from then until Australia Day, we intend to undertake as few duties as possible.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.