In some families what happens at Christmas is that the family takes turns about whose place it will be held at for the rest of the family to gather. This sounds fine in theory, but it can be a problem if someone is set in their ways and refuses to accept something different.
For example, if Mom always cooks certain meals for the Christmas season, there’s no reason it always has to be that way and that everyone else in the family needs to follow suit when it’s their turn and do it the same when it is held at their place. Does it really matter if someone decides to change from the usual way of doing things and try something different? I don’t think it does.
We often alternate in our family as to who gets to ‘do Christmas.’ When Christmas is at our house, Mick and I serve roast pork and chicken, which he cooks in the barbecue, and ham. But because of the hot temperatures in Australia we don’t do baked potatoes and hot vegetables. Years ago, that is what many families did in Australia and some still do. But many more have chosen to opt for a different and more practical option given our climate.
At our place we’re more likely to go for tabouli, baba ghanoush, a pasta salad and various other combinations of salads that present a smorgasbord of food to go with the cold meats. Since we’re not big fans of Christmas pudding, desserts might be a pineapple or lemon coconut pie, pavlova or fruit salad.
Other families I know go in for seafood, prawns and oysters etc. Fish markets in Australia do a roaring trade just before Christmas. The thing is, every one has their own ideas about what a Christmas dinner should be. So someone else might decide to do barbecue chicken kebabs and barbecued prawns. We just need to be flexible.
The thing is it’s not about the food in the end. It’s about getting together as a family to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
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