A Very Merry 'Orphan Aussie' Christmas.

Christmas Down Under.

This is the second Christmas ever that I've been away from my family for the holidays. Coincidentally enough, the first Christmas away was 4 years ago and also spent in Australia. There is something to be said about starting the day at the beach, eating outside and lathering up in sunscreen (SPF 30+).

Thanks, Oliver for hosting!

I wasn't exactly sure how things would pan out. Would I be an emotional wreck? Would I feel lonely? Would I get in the holiday spirit? I'm happy to report: no, no, yes. One MAJOR benefit to traveling the world and putting yourself into new situations, is that you are never too far away from a friend.

Enter Oliver. I met Oliver four years ago in Sydney (and who is coincidentally from West Linn!) and he was thoughtful enough to include me for Christmas with his Australian family and another 'orphan' from New Zealand. It was pretty stinkin' magical!

The Day's Events.

The morning started out with a short walk and a plunge in the ocean at Jan Jac beach. I call it a plunge, because although the sun was shining high and bright, the water hasn't quite got the memo that its summer yet. But I can guarantee you I'm not complaining! And the day just continued to get better from there.

By definition, I am a vegetarian. BUT there is something about Christmas that calls to my inner sea child and I literally cannot eat enough crab. I mean, literally cannot stop. (Side story for perspective: two years ago at xmas, my dad had to tell me to stop inhaling the crab so I wouldn't make myself sick. Truth.) Usually I spend the eve of Christmas with my Aunt Diane's family where we indulge in crab cakes and whiskey sours, so fortunately for me, my 'adoptive family' feels the same way about seafood at Christmas, but instead of whiskey sours, there was endless amounts of Sol brewskies.

Prawn Sandwich in the making.
(Thanks Mark!)

In addition to the crab we had for dinner, I had my first taste of a prawn sandwich! My dad was chirping inside my head so I only allowed myself one, but I must say it was quite delicious and I saved myself from getting ill.

Food and booze were definitely a focal point of this "Very Merry 'Orphan Aussie' Christmas," but other things were happening while we weren't stuffing our faces. There was the secret santa festivities. I got an awesomely large beach towel that will quickly become my new best friend. There was the walk down to the beach to reenergize ourselves before our eight meal of the day. There was the setting of the table and cleaning of the dishes (this probably took up about half the day due to the amount of meals we committed to). And of course the poker game to end the night. No, I didn't win.

The Analysis. 

So, there you have it folks. I think one of the best ways to cope with being away for the holidays and not being with your loved ones is to not try and compare too much of what you are doing in this moment to what you would be doing if you were at home. However, there is no escaping the fact that I missed everyone dearly, especially the ol' pops and brother (and even more especially, my mom).

Group shot: Devin, Oliver, Me,
David, Jenny & Mark.

Another coping mechanism is to bring with you an old tradition to the new experience - wouldn't be Christmas without making mom's Christmas Crack! But let's get real, even that had an Aussie spin to it because I had none of the original ingredients. If I've learned anything over the last year and a half, its that you've got to live your life to the fullest! It sounds cliche but it's oh so true. When you're given opportunities to try something new or invited along to do something that's out of the norm, seize that moment. You will be pleasantly surprised by the people who let you in and the invaluable experience it will bring to your life. And, if it totally sucks, well...at least there's a story in that too.

Cheers to Christmas Crack and all of the goodness that is waiting just around the corner.

xo,
Court

Christmas Crack. Maybe one day you'll be lucky
and I'll share the recipe with you! (Best served in a
Christmas tin.)