Last year I took a Christmas time-out. I am not ashamed to admit that I sulked, plotted and stayed at home in Dunedin rather than making the journey up to Christchurch to visit both of our families. I was just so looking forward to having a selfishly solitary Christmas. Just me, my partner and our cat (Oh dear! This really is sounding a little tragic!). A sleep in, absolutely no Christmas carols, a decadent breakfast, a liquid lunch, DVDs, an afternoon nap followed by a BBQ dinner. I thought I had it made! But in all honesty I spent the whole day thinking about our family and friends, and wondering what they were up to. Who would get drunk at Christmas dinner? What was for dessert? Which of my cousins had made it home from which part of the world? And mostly, missing the hugs and kind wishes I would have both given and received from everyone special to me. It did me the world of good to miss out though, and this Christmas Grinch is officially reformed!
This year I am all over Christmas. I am on the committee for the office party; I had half my shopping taken care of before December was even upon us; and I am already trying out menu ideas for the big day. I’m still not quite on par with my Mother, who listens to Christmas carols the whole month of December, gleefully dancing around the living room, but they say at some point all girls will turn into their mothers and this year I am one step closer to the inevitable.
So it is with a renewed love for the festive season that I hope your Christmas is filled with great food, great company, and of course, that Santa is kind! A very Merry Christmas from the Our Kitchen Team!