26 | December | 2019 | lucinda sans

Shortly, we fly out on Boxing Day and will land in San Fran on Boxing Day, so we get two Boxing Days.

Well, can I claim it if the country we are visiting doesn’t recognise Boxing Day?

And is there any need to have a Boxing Day if you’re not enjoying the peace and quiet after Christmas Day and the mad rush of the pre-Christmas period by eating up the leftovers, enjoying your gifts and maybe catching up with family or neighbours who didn’t come over on Christmas Day and are likewise enjoying the chill of the day that is Boxing Day?

For some Boxing Day is the first day of the test in Melbourne or the start of the Sydney to Hobart or even, for the mad, going to the Christmas sales.

My Boxing Day before we left was none of these things. Last minute packing. A rush to the supermarket for some late requests for Aussie food items. And an anxious wait for my son who flew in from the States, minus Christmas Day and minus his luggage. [Thank you, Delta. Not.]

A heatwave is about to hit the east coast of Australia. I’m doing a #scottyfrommarketing (aka our Prime Minister) and leaving the country. I will miss Christmastide, one of my most favourite times of the year. Quiet. Chill. No pressure. No responsibilities.

But let’s travel!

As usual, I stayed up late on Christmas Eve, tidying and cleaning and setting the tables.

We had one on the verandah and one inside. Table outside for nibbles and drinks. Inside one for the dinner.

In the past all of my in-laws have come. BiL, his wife and three kids. SiL and her two kids. MiL and her partner.

There’d often be others. Friends. Cousins. Some of my family. FiL, until he passed away.

This year it is a vastly diminished gathering. One of my sons is stuck in LA airport. He missed his connecting flight. He won’t have Christmas Day at all. He gets on the plane on Christmas Eve and lands on Boxing Day.

BiL’s wife decided she and the three kids were not coming this year. Though they came for drinks. There’s no visiting family from overseas. Friends we’ve asked in the past have either died or moved interstate. MiL has dementia and no longer has a boyfriend.

We had dip and French style goats cheese with crackers,nuts, and chips. Not as much as we have had in the past as we are flying out tomorrow so can’t have leftovers. No prawns. Mr S left the smoked salmon in our car so no salmon on blinis. What a waste!!!

For mains we had ham, turkey breast, lamb, roast potatoes, roast sweet potatoes, peas with gravy, cranberry sauce, red current jelly and mint jelly.

Dessert? Pav. Fruit. Christmas cake. Chocolates.