I WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS and a Happy New Year!!!!!!

CHRISTMAS ...
I always like to hear John Lennon's lyrics at Christmas.....you know the tune ...right??

So this is Christmas

And what have you done?

Another year over

And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very merry Christmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Christmas

For weak and for strong

For rich and the poor ones

The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas

For black and for white

For yellow and red ones

Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

And so this is Christmas

And what have we done?

Another year over

And a new one just begun

Ans so this is Christmas

I hope you have fun

The near and the dear one

The old and the young

A very merry Christmas

And a happy New Year

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear

War is over over

If you want it

War is over

Now

For most of us Christmas is .........warm weather, end of school term,  HSC results, office and work parties, shopping, surprises, Carols, giving, hopes,  holidays and chance to unwind, read, relax, watch cricket, harbour cruises, shopping and buying gifts, making things to give, Sydney to Hobart, the beach, Christmas food, champagne, seafood, picnics, and enjoying family and friends.

I was thinking of what Christmas means to us all recently and realised that although in some sectors like retail, emergency services, health care, aged care, hospitality and essential services  people are working at Christmas but  we all have the same underlying value about Christmas.....a chance to see friends and family no matter how diverse and eclectic it might be...and to CELEBRATE....

I think everyone has their own traditions and hopes for the one perfect day of the year when the shops are not open and no matter how we choose to celebrate -  be it lavish or humble or somewhere in-between we can relax and enjoy our friends and family and spread a feeling of cheerfulness, love and  warmth to everyone we come across.Our traditions and what we do for Christmas does change as our children grow and the family expands and new traditions can begin.....

I was remembering some of my favourite traditions we have had as a family over the years....when my children were younger and we lived in Perth we would wait for the evening light and head into Perth to view the Christmas windows of the stores  It was also my daughters birthday and we would visit Miss Mauds famous smorgasbord for a birthday dinner then see all the light displays around Perth on our way home.

Christmas carols by candlelight another iconic event...whether celebrated in your local area or the huge televised event in Melbourne and Sydney

Boxing day then ....by far THE BEST DAY of the year means and still does the Sydney to Hobart yacht race start on sydney harbour....a magical event of sun, wind, colour and excitement whether we view it from the harbour or the headland or even on TV ...nothing else says Sydney at Christmas than this. Then o the cricket......test match 

Boxing day - we always had masses of food that my daughter and I had prepared the day before as our Christmas feasts were legendary and always food for days afterwards  Boxing day became a day of rest, fabulous food already prepared, leftover Birthday cake, being spoilt after the toil of the lead up to Christmas, loads of guests, friends, children, boats, play and fun......and doing whatever you felt like....sleeping on the deck ...glass of wine ...talking !!!!

Christmas is still fun but different.........I start Christmas in August when I open 40-60 palettes of Christmas stock and Christmas trees then set up the Christmas shop ...everything has to be unwrapped from the palettes down to the cartons then through 4-8 layers of boxes, paper, cardboard and bubble wrap to ultimately reveal all the decorations from large over sized nutcrackers to tiny little mini decorations. These are then hung by hand on shelves and hooks in a pristine order meticulous fashion to show off their style and theme. It is an overly time consuming task that takes 3-4 weeks to complete. It is fraught with anxiety re delivery schedules, tiredness, stress and difficulties due to staff or lack thereof, along with limited storage space ........but the creative side is awesome !! read previous blog

Once we are ready we open the doors in beginning of August and start the daily business of selling Christmas decorations to the firstly, collectors and tourists then mainstream shoppers not forgetting the Christmas Carols continually played in the shop in case we forget that Christmas is coming.

It is a very personal, important and emotional time for many and I hope that we do bring cheer to all that come in and see our display that we spend hours setting up and help them find small or large treasures to take home or send to friends .......
 It is a shame that by now when we have so many people shopping on late and extended trading hours that the best of it has gone. It was fantastic!!

Add to this the rehearsal of the Christmas choir twice a week from October culminating in a daily Choir performance for the customBy now my mind has been listening or singing carols for 4 months ..so no wonder I sing We wish you a Merry......... in the shower...!!!For the most part it is a happy experience, as mostly customers are happy when buying Christmas decorations but it does bring out the nutters and the extremists...who we have learnt to love and if not at least tolerate.We know them by name and their idiosyncrasies We have heard of some amazing Christmas trees and displays that people have and the time and commitment spent to make them It is staggering the extraordinary effort that some people go to, to spread Christmas cheer  for their homes family and friends. 
The best story told so far, from a customer is of her home on the South coast where there is a colour co-ordinated Christmas tree in every room that is matched with the colour of the ocean outside 

I met my son this morning after the Choir  performance and he said " It was very .........you know and banged his chest" People were tearing up....Yes that is Christmas I thought....we miss people who are not with us, we yearn for loved ones , we enjoy memories of Christmas past and we hope for all good things to come .....

We think of John Lennon's song above, we plan our Kris Kringle (as who can possibly buy or make a gift for every person in the family these days) but most of all we dream of that magical day where it is just all about good cheer and being delighted to see and spend time together  and to make it a special and happy day.

I for one have always opened my heart and home to at least one person who was going to be alone on Christmas day ...a ring in.....It is my own favourite tradition 

The family from Canberra that I told my parents I had invited to come and stay ...all five of them

People from work, odd people that you happen to met, friends and children's friends that I now call 

the " mystery guest."

Our American friends who all came for the day ...the year it was 40 degrees and felt like the country was about to burn down ...this one did end with major bush fires in blue mountains. 

It should be a day of sharing, giving, excitement , fun....

I am so busy at the moment that even if I can't get it together to shop and prepare Christmas with the gruelling lead up to the Boxing day sale ( that is now the focus of my once most favourite day) with stocktake preparation and Christmas trading hours at work. Even if it doesn't happen and all I get done is my Kris Kringle and my daughters birthday present then I hope my involvement in Christmas shop and the Choir has bought some JOY to those we helped create their own Christmas, those that listen and hear us sing every day and to everyone else
I  do wish everyone 

a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.......Enjoy

"My Christmas gift suggestions for you  are:
To your enemy.......forgiveness. 

To an opponent......tolerance.

To a friend...............your heart. 

To a customer.........service.  

To all........................charity.  

To every child.........a good example.  

To yourself..............respect. "