It's Almost Christmas!!

Celebrating Christmas in the heat of the Australian summer is obviously completely different to the Christmases we celebrated in the cold winter in Scotland, don't get me wrong, we LOVE the fact that we can spend the run up to Christmas enjoying picnics and BBQ's on the beach watching the kids on their floats bobbing up and down in the ocean, the endless warm evenings sitting in the garden sipping wine, but I find it's the little things from spending the best part of 39 years celebrating Christmas in Scotland I miss....

-picking Holly for decorations

-brussel sprouts for Christmas lunch veg

-frost patterns on the windows

-the possibility of snow

-heating up your hands on a steaming mug of hot chocolate

-a roaring fire

-chestnuts

-switching on the Christmas lights in the afternoon and getting the benefit due to the early dark evenings 

-hot toddies

-snuggled up in warm blankets early evening to watch Christmas movies

-shopping in the dark afternoons with the Christmas lights sparkling in the streets

But all this aside, Christmas in Australia is great. We love the fact that we don't have to stay indoors most of Christmas day, we can eat our dinner outside on the patio, the doors and windows are open, we can barbecue our Christmas lunch. 

We have even spent Christmas day at the beach in the past which was

 great fun when the kids were younger, we would pack the esky with delicious treats for a picnic lunch, don Santa hats and decorate a Christmas tree whilst listening to Christmas music, then the kids would play in the sea, collect shells and make moats in the sand.

Below are some photos of Christmas day 2011 at the beach, the year George and Margaret came for Christmas.

Hope you all have a fabulous Christmas with family and friends.