.png){kind=icon}
CHRISTMAS WITH THE COUSINS.
By Julie Stokes
Christmas was always an exhilarating time for our family. My brother and I knew we would be seeing all our cousins, aunties and uncles and grandparents. Each year we would meet at my Uncle Gordon’s place a little way out of town .It seemed to me to take a long time to get to my uncle’s house. As we passed lots of dense bush I remember the road being a dirt track, bumpy, dark with no street lights most of the way.Uncle Gordon had a small farm and plenty of room for us to all run around in. Boy! Did we need the area with fifteen cousins all screaming excitedly and laughing as we hugged each other on arrival at the property.
Outside we would smell the eucalyptus trees burning on the fire my uncle had prepared for us. These days you would not be allowed to have a fire of the magnitude we had, and as a child was way over my head and a seemingly long run around the fire with no security provided. As children we would gather a hollow stick and heat one end of the stick by the fire and suck on the other end to produce a cigarette affect…yes our parents let us do it. And thinking about the clothes we were wearing I am remembering we had pyjamas’ and dressing gowns on, and yes they were still flammable in those days. Happily, no one ever caught fire.
Inside the house, preparation was being made for our Christmas meal. All I remember is the smell of hot fruit coming from the plum puddings in the oven. Plum puddings were the best treat as our parents would put threepence and sixpences in the puddings allowing us to pick them out of the pudding as we ate the pudding. I always seemed to be the winner when it came to tallying up the coin. Since then we have changed currency and unable to use the new coins - they are apparently toxic. However, it was a fun season. A memory I still pass on to my kids.
Back outside after filling our tummies with oodles of goodies, and the evening lights emanating and the fire still burning, we would run around playing tag or hide and seek enjoying each other’s company. However, when the music from inside would hit our tender ear drums, we would run to the house in a competitive mode. I loved this stage of Christmas day, my aunty Peggy a rather large jolly lady would sit down by the piano and in her ‘honky Tonk’ way she would play all the Christmas carols…..All the family are now nearby the piano and singing with their different tones and vying for the best seat near the piano. I would sit back observing the atmosphere and enjoying the competitive voices bellowing out with sincere hearts. Somewhere along the way the sounds became distant as tiredness overcame me and with what sounded like muffled ears, I knew I was being carried by strong arms to another destination. I didn’t move nor did I care, I was safe in the arms of my daddy and I knew he would take me home. Contentment and a feeling of well-being allowed me to escape to sleep effortlessly. Christmas where did you go!
