Waiting...

It's that time of the year again - when I find myself gazing at images of plum puddings, and imagining family voices caroling around the Christmas tree, by the glowing firesides of the snow-covered homes of Northern hemisphere folk.

When restaurants advertise sumptuous fare and bid one and all to jingle bells and deck the halls at their worthy establishments, promising to give everyone an authentic taste of the yuletide days of by-gone eras.

It's the time when I like to snuggle up and finger my way.. slowly.. through my old american Victoria and Country Inns magazines. Savouring the pictures in their December issues, which always had a huge bedecked tree on the covers, and wonderful Christmas recipes which fill my mind with the smell of nutmeg and cinnamon and orange peel. Visual delights I return to over and over.

I re-read those favourite magazines as if meeting up with good friends, who have the cosy fire lit and the fruitcake waiting on the table just for me; and no matter how often I visit, I never get bored or wish to be somewhere else. I look forward, each year to the white picture postcard images and stories of bracing walks in icy woods to choose the perfect tree.

You see..I have always dreamed of someday having a snowy Christmas celebration, gathered with friends and family, around our fireside on a deliciously cold day.

A dream ..because where I live, Christmas falls in our bush-fire prone, hot and dry Summer season!

In order to have a 'white Christmas', I have to try to replicate the holiday in our wintry June or July.

In my rural area, Winter is very chilly and the chance of snowfalls is usually high, but the past few years the anticipated flurries have not been as heavy as they used to be. 'Climate change' perhaps?

Who knows..but I dearly miss seeing our town blanketed in white crystals for days at a time. I love the metamorphosis that comes with snow!

Every building, from the grandest church and town hall, down to the humble home with the rustiest red iron roof is transformed into a glass palace. Clean and filled with light!

I will never forget the joy - watching exquisite beauty suddenly come out of hiding to hang in dangled garlands along the corrugated iron ridges like diamond necklaces!

I remember the fun my boys had when they were small, standing at the windows to count the cars going past with wobbly snowmen sitting on their bonnets. How Frosty men in odd sizes and shapes morphed intrigueingly in gardens.. and over the course of a few days..disappeared in trickles down the driveways.

There were always snow fights with Dad in the backyard, when the race would be on to see who could get a snowball down someones shirt first, and sometimes a drive to the top of the mountain to throw icey balls at one another and make snow angels ! Lots of laughs and hot chocolate - wonderful days - with school canceled and everything gone sooo white and sooo quiet that your very breathing echoed when you spoke !

I always had a plan to make the most of it when it was to arrive and dreamt of setting up the christmas tree in front of the window, so that I could duplicate the scenery of an old fashioned Victorian Christmas; complete with a beautiful snowy landscape in the background. My own Christmas in July!

And a few years ago when the snow began falling unexpectedly, I ran to the cupboard and pulled out the tangled decorations and quickly tied tinsel across the glass doors and strung baubels and what-nots up and rushed to get the trusty plastic tree out of hibernation and by the time I had it half erected..the snow had all melted away !!

No snow..no photos..no nostalgic white christmas that year..or indeed any year so far.

Never mind, one day my lovely Dickensian dream of a Victorian Christmas will come true... .

But for now, via the magic Windows and screens of laptops, I'll travel to the homes of my blogging friends up north to watch them build snowmen in the yards and roast chestnuts over their fires. I'll sit on their sofas and drink eggnog, while their children find presents hidden under trees heavy with joy, and our laughter will ring around the room of this old world and my heart will be made full!

For we shall be gathered together to welcome Him

The "Ever - Coming - One"!

The God-Babe..wrapped and laid in the wood of manger

The One who comes to whiten as the snow..all our crimson red upon His tree.

Our Hope.. and the dream Who always comes True

Our long awaited...Emmanuel!

Happy Advent, dear friends.

blessings..Trish