Christmas Down Under VII

Yesterday marked my seventh Christmas in Australia.  And while I now have my own Christmas traditions, I miss spending it with my family.  I miss the crisp air while shopping for Christmas presents, and stopping for Starbuck's speciality drinks (Gingerbread Lattes, Peppermint Mochas, Mulled Spiced Cider- okay, Starbuck's haven't had this in years but I can hope they bring it back one day, right?)  I miss the smell of fresh pine Christmas trees, mixed with the smell of baking spices.  And I miss lining up in front of Pottery Barn on Burlingame Ave with my sister the day after Christmas.

The funny thing is, I have a more traditional Christmas here than I grew up having.  Christmas dinners of my youth were a strange combination of sometimes a roast turkey or ham and Chinese dishes, that was when we didn't go to a Chinese restaurant.  The last time we had a Christmas tree, my big boy Labrador, Sundance, lifted his leg on it.  I remember getting one too many turtlenecks as gifts.  I think maybe it's because of this, that my sister and I promised each other when we had our own families we would have Christmas our way.  But since we both started our own families, we actually haven't spent a single Christmas together.  I hope next year, we do!

Christmas Eve
MissE and I made cookies for Santa

MissE couldn't wait for these to come out of the oven

Christmas Eve dinner is a Seafood Extravaganza.  While MissE and I were blissfully sleeping, Conor went to The Sydney Fish Markets in the early morning hours (2am) for our prawns, scallops and Moreton Bay Bugs.  On the menu: coriander and parsley prawn skewers, mustard seed chilli prawns, chilli scallops, Morton Bay Bugs mornay and drenched in garlic.  MissE loves her Moreton Bay Bugs!

After dinner, MissE set out cookies and milk for Santa and watched her first Carols by Candlelight.

Christmas Day MissE loves a sleep-in!  We started the day at 9am with presents first!

MissE and the presents!

A new laptop!

MissE waiting for waffles on her new Ms Food Face plate

Santa brought us a an X-Box 360 Kinect: MissE and daddy playing

MissE and her cousin spent the day playing and of course, eating turkey and ham!

Caught!  MissE takes a break and watches the clouds pass her by after a great Christmas Day!