There has just been a chat on Radio National on the subject of what you do on Christmas Day when you don't celebrate it. Of course, there are plenty of people who just don't do it. My friend Anne Devrell and her husband escaped to Melbourne one year - they spent some time at the Sorrento YHA and on the day itself they invited me to join them by the river for a picnic. It was such a pleasant, peaceful day, and we waved at people rowing past.
Waleed Aly, the drive time host, is Muslim, of course, and I, too, am not "of the Nazarene persuasion." ;-) He complained that there's nothing to do and you can't even meet your friends because they all have commitments.
Well, I love being alone on that day. I pack a picnic lunch. It's something yummy - fresh summer fruit, exotic cheeses and home made bread. And a thermos of hot water and herbal tea. And I take along a book. This year I will be able to take stacks of books, thanks to my e-reader. Last year, there was a sudden cloudburst and we all took shelter under the roof of the changing shed. I chatted to a British gentleman, who was cheerfully eating an ice cream and pleased to have a summer Christmas. One year, when it was pouring all day, I had my picnic lunch at the living room table and binged on episodes of Angel.
If it was my holy day, it might be different, but that wasn't the point of the discussion. There's plenty to do without making someone open a cinema for you or whatever. You can take a walk, sit in the park(plenty of parties are going on in my local park on that day). You can write. You can read, read, read! And I'm going to.
Waleed Aly, the drive time host, is Muslim, of course, and I, too, am not "of the Nazarene persuasion." ;-) He complained that there's nothing to do and you can't even meet your friends because they all have commitments.
Well, I love being alone on that day. I pack a picnic lunch. It's something yummy - fresh summer fruit, exotic cheeses and home made bread. And a thermos of hot water and herbal tea. And I take along a book. This year I will be able to take stacks of books, thanks to my e-reader. Last year, there was a sudden cloudburst and we all took shelter under the roof of the changing shed. I chatted to a British gentleman, who was cheerfully eating an ice cream and pleased to have a summer Christmas. One year, when it was pouring all day, I had my picnic lunch at the living room table and binged on episodes of Angel.
If it was my holy day, it might be different, but that wasn't the point of the discussion. There's plenty to do without making someone open a cinema for you or whatever. You can take a walk, sit in the park(plenty of parties are going on in my local park on that day). You can write. You can read, read, read! And I'm going to.
I'm looking forward to a quiet Christmas this year. Your sounds lovely. There's a lot to be said about spending a whole day reading!
ReplyDeleteAnd spending the day reading is something you can only do if you're alone. Even if you and your friend or partner agree to do it together, someone will eventually get bored and start talking. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI will have my iPad with me, so if I don't feel like reading I can write. Nice!