Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas Cards: Setting the Mood

Then its zippity jingle and dash away pingHang holly and berries in all the hallsThe tassels on all the thermostats andWrite merry Christmas on all of the walls…~ from Eloise at Christmas Time by Kay Thompson One upon a time, … Continue reading

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Ghosts of Christmas Past

At last, the sun has finally decided to herald in the spring and the streets of Adelaide are carpeted in deep violet jacaranda flowers. I am suddenly, and belatedly, aware that it is already December, and Christmas is but a … Continue reading

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“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

It’s almost Christmas. The tree is up and brimming with angels, even my grumpy Filipina one. The Kris Kringle list is out. The Christmas menu has been finalized. Our supplies of red are running low, but we have plenty pf … Continue reading

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Nine Lessons & Carols

‘The air was dry with summer heat, and smoke was on the yellow moon…’ ~John Wheeler The temperature gauge is swooping up to the century as we gallop into the third week of December. It’s a far cry from last … Continue reading

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Christmas Markets

It is a Sunday morning in mid-December. We are in Köln (Cologne) in western Germany, wandering along the Rhine,  with our hands buried deep in pockets, and scarves wrapped almost up to our eyebrows as an icy wind whips around … Continue reading

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Singing Carols at Christmas

I love singing, particularly at Christmas. It lightens the heart and puts a smile on my face. So when I arrived in the Philippines and discovered there was a choir I could join, I jumped at the chance. Asia Minors … Continue reading

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A Manila Christmas Carol

                Lechon roasting on an open fire, Parum-papum-pum, spinning slowly over glowing coals until glossy copper skin snaps and cracks like toffee, promising juicy, fragrant flesh beneath. The traffic churns, thick and smoky … Continue reading

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In the Spirit of Christmas

Welsh poet Dylan Thomas wrote ‘it always snowed at Christmas.’ Maybe this was the case in northern Europe, but not in the Antipodes, where the seasons are upside down, and Christmas arrives in the height of summer.  In Australia there … Continue reading

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Of Birds and Beasts and Beaches

My first morning back in Australia I woke up to the feel of a warm breeze on my skin, the sound of magpies warbling, the scent of eucalyptus on the air and the sight of the hazy purple of jacaranda … Continue reading

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A McDonald’s Christmas

McDonald’s may not be everyone’s idea of a Christmas feast, but for twenty small street kids at  Tulay Ng Kabataan it is. Aged between three and fifteen, these twenty plus kids  moved earlier this year to a purpose built house with … Continue reading

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