Decking the Halls
We decked the halls literally with boughs of holly this year.
I used pipe cleaners and red jingle bells to make the berries.
We got the holly branches and some pine branches at the markets. Why are all the "Christmas-y" plants the ones that can poke and jab you to death? I should have dug out my gardening gloves!
The inspiration to actually put up the tree and get into the holiday spirit was two boxes that arrived in the mail from America chockablock with pressies. (Australian for "full of presents".)
Family picture...
And since I'm posting photos, this is the one that was in the paper the other day. Page 2.
Culture Shocked & Homesick
I had a really weepy Saturday. We were at the markets, and a mentally handicapped young man, maybe 22 or 23 years old, sat down at our table with us. He gingerly held his basketball and bottle of orange soda. Just the way that he acted made the tears well up as it reminded me so much of when my brother was coming out of his coma almost three years ago.
And then there was getting ready for Christmas knowing that I'll be here and my family will be there and that is that. I don't see how it will ever feel normal, at this point... but maybe it takes a few years. This is only my second since we went back last year.
Saturday night Hans ordered pizza so we wouldn't have to cook, and we curled up on the couch to watch Glory. It was a perfectly good excuse to have a little cry.
We decked the halls literally with boughs of holly this year.
I used pipe cleaners and red jingle bells to make the berries.
We got the holly branches and some pine branches at the markets. Why are all the "Christmas-y" plants the ones that can poke and jab you to death? I should have dug out my gardening gloves!
The inspiration to actually put up the tree and get into the holiday spirit was two boxes that arrived in the mail from America chockablock with pressies. (Australian for "full of presents".)
Family picture...
And since I'm posting photos, this is the one that was in the paper the other day. Page 2.
Culture Shocked & Homesick
I had a really weepy Saturday. We were at the markets, and a mentally handicapped young man, maybe 22 or 23 years old, sat down at our table with us. He gingerly held his basketball and bottle of orange soda. Just the way that he acted made the tears well up as it reminded me so much of when my brother was coming out of his coma almost three years ago.
And then there was getting ready for Christmas knowing that I'll be here and my family will be there and that is that. I don't see how it will ever feel normal, at this point... but maybe it takes a few years. This is only my second since we went back last year.
Saturday night Hans ordered pizza so we wouldn't have to cook, and we curled up on the couch to watch Glory. It was a perfectly good excuse to have a little cry.
Labels: culture shock, life, photo
ec 03 2007, 01:16 am
hey!! whats that paper hunz is in?? i want a copy
from the second biggest fan :P
1:14 PM
Dec 03 2007, 04:41 am
It was the MX paper... the Courier-Mail afternoon commuter paper thingie. I'll see if we have more than one left.
1:14 PM
Dec 03 2007, 06:37 am
I'm a bit jealous that you guys are getting into the Christmas spirit. We're having a hard time. Alison always kicks off the season by busting out her Christmas CDs the day after Thanksgiving. We're going to have to try something different, because this apparently doesn't work in the Southern Hemisphere.
1:15 PM
Dec 03 2007, 01:39 pm
Decorations look festive and pretty - I can imagine it would be hard though when you're family is so far.
1:15 PM
Dec 03 2007, 02:00 pm
You would have had another box if you had sent your list....
I miss you too! But you look like you're doing well.
1:15 PM
Dec 03 2007, 05:23 pm
Manda: I thought we agreed I was going to make my wishlist for YOU after I knew what was coming from Mom & Dad so that I didn't end up with 42 boxes of Oatmeal Cream Pies. (Not that that would be completely terrible... just slightly excessive.)
Brett: Yeah, my first Christmas here, I was pretty "bah humbug" about the whole thing, so that was when Hans bought me the Christmas tree. It still wasn't the same but helped a bit. Then last year we didn't put much effort into it at all, because we left for America mid-month.
So this is really my first true effort to get into the Christmas spirit. I thought we would put up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, but I couldn't care. So Saturday morning, we put on the "John Denver & the Muppets Christmas" album and got to work.
1:16 PM
Dec 03 2007, 06:10 pm
love love love "glory"...i need to own that so that i can have a good excuse to cry sometimes!
love the photos, dear! *sniff*
HUGS!
(i typed HUGES the first time...whoops.)
1:16 PM
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