Christmas done and dusted

That’s Christmas done for another year. This year’s festivities took place at Nicole and Jason’s in Rouse Hill. As we did last year, Garry and I slept over on Christmas Eve. We also took time out to see Mitch’s new apartment. It’s an impressive investment. I’d be happy to live in it. 

The weather also played its part. It was stinking hot out West on Wednesday, but dawned much cooler on Christmas Day. Once the mandatory present unwrapping was done, we spent the rest of the day relaxing outdoors, including a late lunch on the patio. We even squeezed in a traditional game of cricket with some quirky backyard rules.

In the lead-up to the big day, Garry and I spent much of the week preparing for our extended overseas trip. On Tuesday, we went shopping at the DFO Outlet Mall in Homebush. What was meant to be an hour-long excursion turned into a four-hour shopping frenzy. We’re now stocked up on clothes, underwear and shoes for our cruise. Jon and Colm came over for dinner shortly after returning from DFO. It was another one of our memorable catch-up sessions.

Christmas Eve was a last-minute flurry of activity, preparing for Christmas itself and tomorrow’s early morning flight to New Zealand. I got my haircut. We did some final grocery shopping, wrapped gifts, ironed clothes and did the laundry before heading out to Rouse Hill for the night.

Last night, after driving back from Rouse Hill, we had four friends over for Christmas drinks and leftovers at our apartment. The last guest finally departed around 11pm. Today we’ll pack our bags and complete final preparations for our time overseas. We used to fly around the world once a year, while living in London, so these lengthy trips aren’t anything new. However, this trip seems to require more planning and preparation than I recall having done before. I guess we’re out of practice.