This was the first Christmas Eve dinner (feast) that we had made together. Our meal consisted of a rolled pork roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, bread, a roasted macadamia nut and mango salad, and bread pudding with rum sauce for dessert. We prepared everything except for the bread which we purchased from a local bakery.
We spent the entire afternoon working on the meal and it turned out quite well and tasted delicious. It was definitely not the same as being with our families which each have their own Christmas Eve traditions. Since it was just the two of us we had plenty of leftovers to enjoy for the coming days.
During the meal we reminisced about past Christmases. This was not our first Christmas together without snow or being away from family. After we were married we spent our first Christmas in Rome as part of our honeymoon. We left my Aunt Sharon's place very early on the morning of December 24th for our 5am flight. It was quite a memorable morning as it involved a lost passport, which was found just in time for us to catch our plane. We ended up running through the airport to arrive at our gate as final boarding was called. We spent Christmas Eve at airports and flying arriving in Rome on Christmas morning in time to hear the new Pope Benedict XIV give the Christmas address. Like our first Christmas abroad it is quite green here and rainy. We saw the sun on Monday and Tuesday when we had beautiful clear blue skies. However, it has been grey and rained every day since then. On the plus side it has kept the temperature from getting too hot as often Christmas can be one of the hottest days of the summer (95 F or warmer) here in Australia. It was about 78 degrees Fahrenheit for a high on Christmas with a low of 72. I am not sure whether friends and family, particularly in Minnesota, will be envious of the temperatures or just the lack of snow. However it is quite humid especially with all the rain that has been falling. In my phone conversations with my mom she keeps reminding me of how beautiful everything looks with the pine trees and yard all covered in a nice blanket of white snow. I can picture it but am not presently missing the idea of shoveling the record amounts of snow that has fallen in Minnesota and -20F temperatures. However it does feel different not having any snow or cold weather for Christmas.
For Christmas Day we attended church and afterwards volunteered at the James Jacob Fellowship Christmas Lunch which was being held in the church basement. This was the 3rd annual luncheon organized by a couple, Jan and Leigh who lost their son in 2005. It is geared towards individuals who have mental illnesses some who are currently hospitalized or institutionalized or anyone else who needed somewhere to be for Christmas day and had signed up in advance for the catered meal. As it was raining it likely deterred some guests from attending but it was a good time. There was a kitchen crew that prepared all the food and served up the plates of food. David kept busy as the cappuccino man making the cappuccinos and serving them to the guests and volunteers. I participated in singing some Christmas carols and serving some of the plates of food to people seated at the tables and just having conversation with different people. I'm guessing there were around forty or so guests for the meal plus a dozen or so volunteers. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and the food. The meal consisted of salad, turkey, ham, potatoes, carrots, peas, and Christmas pudding with custard sauce. On the table were chocolates, candy canes, Christmas crackers (complete with paper hat, joke and toy), and confetti poppers (which explode and shoot confetti streamers). All guests received a gift bag with some small presents that had been donated.
Volunteering at a Christmas luncheon was much different than our usual Christmas Day celebrations with family. Since both of our families lived in close proximities we were always able to attend two Christmas in one day, one at my Grandparents and another with David's relatives. In talking with people at the lunch we did learn more about the holiday traditions here in Australia and about the Gold Coast region. The traditional Christmas meal really isn't any different from those I've had in the USA but the Christmas or plum pudding is a holiday tradition we do not have. At my family Christmases there is always a wide variety of holiday desserts including cookies (or biscuits as they refer to them here), pies, rosettes, fudge, and other treats. I have heard from different coworkers that when the weather is really hot at Christmas time some families serve cold meats or have picnics at the beach. I can understand why they would not want to heat up the house with roasting meat and all the traditional fixings.
Later that evening David and I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation which was being broadcast on the television. This movie is a staple of my family's celebration of Christmas as they watch it every year on Christmas Eve.
We hope that all our friends and family (around the world) had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all many blessings ahead in 2011.
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