Blog This Challenge~ The Real Meaning Of Christmas

What does Xmas mean to you and your family?

Have you got some traditions??

What will you cook?!

Who will you spend it with?

Got a favourite Christmas memory?

How are you decorating??

This weeks Blog This challenge is all about Christmas and what it means to us.  To me, the real meaning of Christmas is the Birth of Jesus.  I mean thats what its all about isnt it? Its not just presents and food and decorating.  Im not the most religious person by any means, and Rob isnt religious either, in fact he doesnt even believe in Christmas and would rather not celebrate it, the Scrooge he is, but I remember once seeing a poster or something that said "Remember the CHRIST in CHRISTmas"  and its true, I think people get so caught up in the commercial side of Christmas and they forget what its all about, the birth of Jesus Christ.  The girls are too little to understand the real  meaning of Christmas and we didnt baptize them as Catholics but I will tell them what it means when they get older, I know Rob will probably object to me doing it but he can get lost, the girls should know what Christmas really means.

Moving onto traditions, we dont really have any, but before I met Rob, we (mum, step dad and I) used to go over to my grandparents house on Christmas eve and have dinner there, then mum, grandma and I would head over to Midnight mass, then after mass we would come back to my grandma's house and we would open our gifts.  The main event would take place on Christmas day though with lunch at either my grandma's house or my mum's or my aunties, depending on who's turn it was.  Once I started working at The Windsor, I used to have to work on Christmas day so that meant that we would have dinner not lunch and I stopped going to midnight mass, but would go to a mass on Christmas eve regardless.  I worked Christmas day every year that I worked at the hotel so it was just another day for me really.  Once Rob and I got married and had the kids we stopped going to my grandma's on Christmas Eve and we just have a nice dinner here just us and the girls.

This year, we are having Christmas lunch at our house again, its much easier that our family come here than us go to my IL's house and my parents place, too much travelling.  Not sure what we will do food wise.  Last year we had baked ham, a whole baked snapper, various salads and desserts.  Its much easier doing it like a buffet, than a sit down roast.  Im thinking of Turkey roast this year and defintiely some ham, dont know whether to bake it or leave it cold.  Mum and grandma usually help me with catering.  We shall have to have a meeting to discuss food for Christmas this year, I have no idea what we are gonna have!

We will be spending Christmas with the usual family members, my parents, grandparents, aunty and uncle, Rob's mum and dad, dont know if his grandparents will make it this year, theyre both unwell so dont know whats happening there, and his sister, well, Id like to not invite her but I know there will be sparks if I dont.  Its no secret that we dont get along, she is a mega tightwad and when she does come to a family event she just stands there like a bump on a log, with her mother who is also a bump on a log and they dont do anything except get in the way!

My fave christmas memories would have to be of the times when I was little and we used to go to midnight mass.  I used to leave biccies and milk for Santa before we left for church and I never usually used to make it thru the whole mass sometimes, there were times I would fall asleep, but other times when I just couldnt wait for mass to be over and done with so I could get back to my grandmas and open up my presents that I asked Santa for!  I used to get a Barbie every year without fail, and they were my fave presents ever!  I used to spend the entire Christmas day playing with my new toys! I also used to have a stocking that my grandma made for me and mum or "Santa" used to fill it with all sorts of goodies!  Now its the kids that get spoiled rotten.  These days we do a Kris Kringle so we only have to buy for one person in the family, which is much better on the hip pocket.

Another memory I have is when we were supposed to spend Christmas of 1984 in New Zealand.  My step father is from there and we were supposed to leave Melbourne on December 23rd to get there in time for Christmas day, well it wasnt to be as the airline we were flying with were on strike!  So we had two christmas celebrations here and on the afternoon of December 25, we get a phone call to tell us that our plane was leaving that night.  We ended up getting to New Zealand on Boxing day instead.

Lastly, decoration wise, I have a fibre optic tree and I put some lights up on the mantle piece, with two kids its hard to have many decorations as theyre always attacking the tree, removing the balls, so I keep it simple.  I never forget when we lived in our other house, I put the tree up and the cats attacked it and I had to put it upstairs as they kept playing with the balls and making a racket!  Im very much looking forward to Christmas this year, its always fun with kids, I love seeing them opening their presents and having a ball!