So Christmas 2011 has been and gone and it wasn't until I collapsed in a bruised heap around 9pm Christmas night that I even realised I hadn't had a drop of alcohol.
My Christmas festivities started at 2.45am Christmas Eve, when hubby and brother-in-law #2 started the 450km car ride home to our families. That night it was Christmas with my immediate family and started with my sister-in-law and I taking my nieve to Church where she was playing an angel in the Christmas play.
This time I went to an Anglican service - my 'own' religion if you will - with my 20 month old niece in tow. We arrived promptly at 6 (even though the service didn't start til 6.30) to get Miss 20-months in her angel finery but try as I might I couldn't get the orange plastic golf ball she had unwrapped 30 minutes earlier out of her tiny little fists, and from that point on our angel was not very angelic.
The biggest difference I noticed with this service is that the Minister and his helpers (I guess that's what they are) walked in in a procession of sorts, draped in their finery and carrying crosses while the congregation sang Oh come all ye faithful. I'm assuming this is purely because being Christmas Eve and all it's a pretty special occasion. This was also the first service I was at where they said the Lord's Prayer: I didn't think it was just an Anglican thing so was surprised I hadn't heard it at either the Bpatist or Uniting services.
During this time Miss 20-months had thrown a right tanty and was scooped up in her Grandmother's arms as she waited outside with the other angels to make her grand entrance: this never materialised. Instead, Grandma took her down to the front pew to watch the goings-on up close where she promptly dripped candel wax on herself, and another little girl ran into a tall candle holder behind the Minister, nearly knocking it over and setting the place alight.
I'll give the Anglicans credit - the Service was highly entertaining!
So I had fulfilled my relgious duties for the holiday and it was back to the folks for dinner and playing with gifts. Those commitments over, it was off to the in-laws to assist with last minute Santa duties before climbing into bed somewhere around 12.30am.
I think the reason I didn't miss drinking is becuase I simply didn't have time to. We were up at 5.30am getting ice and starting the room re-modelling to make room for everyone, then the 4 trouble-makers (and I use the term affectionately) opened some of their gifts while we waited for thier father to arrive, then there were more gifts to open, tables to set up, visitors to greet, more presents to open, lunch to serve, dessert to serve, kettles to boil, lunch to clean up then final presents to open - all before 1.30pm.
Admittedly, I don't always see eye-to-eye with some of hubby's family and could've done with a drink about 15 minutes after they arrived but I'm pretty sure that would've lead to bitch-slapping some sense into them so my approach of simply finding something else to clean up to keep me occupied was better for all involved.
We made a hasty retreat from the in-laws at 2.30pm to head to my family Christmas which is where the big drinking usually starts and my cousions hadn't let me down on this front. Soon after my brother, sister-in-law and Miss 20-months arrived and the party was in full swing, opening presents before kick-off in the "Turkey Bowl".
Yep, I played Gridiron sober.
We can't really remember how it started but for reasons unknown a couple Christmases back we traded in our cricket game for a gridiron match and now it seems a part of the day. Despite being unwanted by both my brother and husband in their team I thoroughly enjoyed our game which lasted almost two hours and have the bruises to prove it!
I think the biggest thing I noticed about not drinking is that I didn't really get tired until around 9pm, when previous years it has reached 7pm and I've flaked out on a sun lounge somehwere. I had unbridled energy and didn't have an inclining of a sore head the following morning.
All in all a successful example of proving my point that you don't need alcohol to have a fun Christmas - let's see if I can do the same on New Year's Eve!!
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