It was never going to be a normal Christmas away from home in the bitter cold air of England sipping mulled wine and snuggling by the fire. Instead I embraced the hot summer days down the south coast of Oz and lapped up those afternoons on the beach as I experienced my first Christmas in Australia.
Whilst I missed my close family and friends over the festive period, I had nothing to complain about swapping snow and dark winter evenings for 30 degree heat. With 2 weeks off work I left Sydney for the holidays to spend time with my family who have a stunning home in the seaside town of Mollymook. Bringing my boyfriend along too, it was an opportunity to spend quality time together as we explored the local area and hidden gems such as Jones Beach. It was a Christmas break filled with fun events and family affair between Mollymook and the Southern Highlands.
Christmas Day reached scorching hot temperatures as we were welcomed with open arms to my boyfriend’s auntie’s beautiful farm in Berry. Overlooking the luscious green fields with cattle and kangaroos grazing side by side, we were treated to a delicious spread of food very much different to the traditional English Christmas roast dinner. To accompany the roast ham there were platters of lovely salads as well as plenty of seafood including a whole baked salmon with pesto herb crust and buckets and buckets of prawns – yum!
After a mezze of deserts featuring lots of fruit and my favourite pavlova, we soaked up the afternoon sun whilst we sipped our coffee and just about fit in a slither of Christmas fruit cake. Later the boys couldn’t help but get up to some fun and games as they towed each other across the lake on a wakeboard attached to the farm buggy!
Later that evening I got to FaceTime my family back in England who were just waking up for their Christmas morning. I sent home a personalised card with flowers and a bottle of bubbly for the family and I opened my little package of presents whilst on the phone to them. Despite missing them all very much back home, I’m so thankful to have such amazing family even on the other side of the world who have been so hospitable and welcoming to me during my first Christmas in Oz.
Dani Aneka 