Mum's Christmas.

Two weeks ago a string of lightning strikes caused bushfires to the north-west of us.



After 2 frantic weeks, cleaning up the garden and patching gaps under the house and in the eaves, we woke up to the fact last night that Christmas is only a few sleeps away!

I have always been strong on the Traditional (ie as Mum did it) Christmas Dinner - no prawns and pavlova for us, we prefer roast chicken with mixed herbs in the stuffing (stuffed under the skin, of course) served with the old-fashioned roast vegies and peas, tomato and onion pie, and gravy.

Dessert is Christmas Pud, Trifle (with walnuts on top) and fruit salad - two-fruits with banana, tinned pineapple and diced apples added, we hadn't heard of kiwi fruit as children, and luxury fruits like cherries were out of the question. All accompanied by Fruit Cup - juices and lemonade with a tang of ginger.

So there is not much decision-making involved, which is good. Presents go in the mail (to the UK only, as others are coming to visit) or under the tree cut from the old pine plantation up the road, and we are ready.

Simple, really.................so why the panic we see all around us when shopping in town? Why does every women's magazine have pages of hints on how to de-stress Christmas? Is it "the done thing" to be madly busy at this time of the year? Or are people so busy being busy they have forgotten how to be simple?

It must be the world's greatest paradox that all that tinsel is required to celebrate the birth of the baby born in a stable.