INSPIRATION
It’s Christmas Time
I am a Melbourne girl at heart, I grew up in the house my parents helped build in East Burwood. We lived at the bottom of a steep hill which was perfect for the numerous billy carts my brothers would build. It was also perfect after rainy weather as the crossroad outside our house would usually flood which meant we would all be out there in our flippers and togs. I grew up with a Summer Christmas, school holidays and hot weather which meant beach!
My Mum made Christmas magical for us, we were the only ones in the neighborhood to have a white Christmas tree which she made herself from chicken wire and tulle. When she and my Dad first married he surprised her with a Christmas tree full of decorations…the fragile kind that are now antique and come out each year from their layers of tissue. Putting up the tree is a ritual, each ornament placed in a particular spot with it’s own little story.
As I grew older I came to appreciate the love she showed us each time she put up that tree. My Dad died just before Christmas aged thirty nine. As an adult with my own children I can’t begin to imagine how she got through that first Christmas without him. She never made Christmas a sad time, even though for her I’m sure it was often heartbreaking.
Every Christmas when I lived at home Mum and I would wrap the presents on Christmas Eve. Always with the Carols by Candlelight turned up loud! Mum would wrap and I was in charge of the curling ribbons, I think the most I got onto one present was twelve different colors.
It’s impossible to be a Melbourne girl and not have been to the Carols. My best friend Carolyn and I would go in on the tram, get off at Flinders Street and walk down to find a good spot. It was an unspoken tradition with the crowd to keep your candle burning as long as possible after the concert finished. So there would be a sea of candles heading back to the city with teenage boys trying to blow out the candles of the girls the liked.
Now we have our own children, my tree is filled with precious ornaments from all over the world. Each one has a story which I tell the kids as we decorate the tree. The angel on the top was given to me by my Aunt on a present when I was about twelve. Each year we add some more, in fact just today while at the shops there was a stall for children to paint a gorgeous ceramic ball. Now there are two new ornaments on the tree with childish paintings of Santa and snowmen. It’s such a special time of year, one that always invites me to light a candle for my Dad and our little boy and listen to the carols on Christmas Eve.
traditions which are created from love… so I’d like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a magical Christmas filled with moments of joy!
and the gang x
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From an old Melbourne girl who has lived all over the world. There is nothing like Carols by Candlelight. I went as a child with my adopted father Stan, and we would take our rug and some tea in a thermos and wait patiently for the start of the carols. It was a small event then. you bought your candle and it was kind of wrapped in a paper doily. Many years later after meeting Fred, we also went to carols. No tea for us then it was a nice bottle of wine and something to nibble. My son was a baby and we would walk to the Myer Music Bowl from our house in South Melbourne. After the carols were finished we would then go to Midnight Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, and then home to either get the baby to bed or open presents then and there. What wonderful memories of Melbourne. Thank you for sharing yours with us.
You never take the ‘Melbourne’ out of the girl do you Val….I can just imagine you with your beloved Stan at the carols. A beautiful tradition for you to take into your family with Fred and Matt, I’ve never been to a midnight mass, I’d love to go one day. Love Melbourne and love to you xxxx
Lisa, what a lovely post! The charming details make me feel as if I was right there with you on Christmas with your mum.. (I used to be in charge of curling ribbons too). Hope your holidays were wonderful this year! Thank you so much for participating in ATCT and apologies for me taking so long to get over here… 😉
Well apologies from me also Margo, I didn’t realise I hadn’t replied to everyone here, Christmas caught me up. I’ll be back to ATCT soon. ciao lisa
Lisa, how lovely to hear about your Christmases past. A beautiful story of carols and candles. I too love Christmas decorations with stories behind them and cling to the decorations my children made in nursery school. Keep up the beautiful blog, it is always so inspiring.
Wishing you a wonderful 2012 which I hope brings you to Italy. Best, Trisha
I have so many decorations that the children have made on the tree, they are the best! Now I photograph everything they draw as well, might make a book for them one day! Hoping to be in Italia soon, we’ll raise a glass of vino!
ciao lisa x
lovely post and pictures .. merry merry christmas
anni
and belated Christmas wishes to you xxx
love lisa
Great blog post! Lovely mom you have and turned out to be. Merry Christmas xo Dea.
aww thanks Dea, I had a great role model xxx
Merry Christmas
What a lovely post Lisa, what a great mom you had and turned out to be you are truly blessed. I have wonderful friends and when I lived back home Christmas was always special, one of my tradtions that I have not been able to keep up in Italy but will pick up again this coming year is service. I always served or cooked at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter on Christmas eve.Christmas day was always spent at church then at my aunt’s house who would always have a buffet lunch, college football, relaxing, napping and then more food and finally going home. They’d always have the fireplace roaring and a fire outside in the back yard too. Last year I went home for Christmas and got to do just that. 🙂 Good times. What joy to share yourself, give and sing carols w/folks who are in need but happy. Melbourne sounds wonderful, hope to visit it some day. Bless you xoxo Dea.
thanks Dea, I hope our children will have special memories of Christmas when they get older. You sound like you have a Christmas of joy and contribution to others, how beautiful! Hope your 2012 is wonderful and might see you in Australia??
ciao lisa x
Merry Christmas, Lisa! Have a wonderful holiday season with your family!!
thanks for that Lisa xx
What a sweet post! It made me cry. My memories of Christmas are not many and not so good. My parents probably “did the best they could” but everything was always uncertain. Would there be presents? Would there even be a tree? Oh well. I made up for it by giving my own kids very nice Christmases full of traditions, the creche with the comical Mariachi figures, cookie baking, Christmas Eve service at the Lutheran Church, a special breakfast on Christmas morning, cutting our own tree in the national forest, etc. Our three kids will all be arriving on Christmas Eve. We’ll have a cheese fondue and the next day one of our homegrown hams. They are all getting very practical presents of tri ply stainless steel cookware! I know they will appreciate it every time they use it.
Now…. “Feliz Navidad y un Prospero Ano Nuevo! To all of your precious Family.
Caterina I’m so glad that you could take your experiences and create something special for your own children. What a wonderful Mum you are, hope all is well with you and apologies for such a late reply I seemed to have missed commenting on all of these lovely wishes. I was caught up with Christmas and then my Uncle died and I had to travel to be with family. ciao xxx
From yet another Melbourne girl to another, grazie e buon natale Lisa. My Sicilian nonni started out cutting cane in north Queensland then came to Melbourne where they built a house in the then countryside of – you guessed it – East Burwood!!! Looking forward to more memories and your beautiful insights in 2012. un abbraccio, Janine x
Oh this is too funny, another east Burwood family! My hubby’s Mum is from Salina and she came to Australia when she was seven.
They settled in Melbourne and built houses from the ground up, that is where Sam learnt to be such a jack of all trades. Loving your blog and seems we are kindred souls.
ciao lisa x
Oh I so loved reading about your Christmas and your Mum. Is that your Mum in the photo? You can see you are Mother/daughter!
Gosh she was a strong lady to be able to put her feelings aside and make sure your xmas was still a happy time. She was so strong.
Love your decorations story.
Cheers
Lisa
Yes Lisa that’s my Mum in the photo, you can see my room in the background, it had big sunflower wallpaper that I just loved! Even though Dad died when I was so young I had a wonderful childhood full of love, Mum was often like a big sister and we would giggle away! This year is the first time she hasn’t put up a Christmas tree, she is getting frail from recent surgery and it gets beyond her. sending belated love lisa x
Oh my goodness, Lisa. I’m a Melbourne girl too! And my parents built a house in East Burwood! What a small world. I love your Christmas post. I love the way that you share your Christmas memories. I also love Carols by Candlelight thanks for sharing the clip. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🙂
How funny is that, it is indeed a small world! I could have walked to your house! I had Greek friends who lived up your way and often walked up there. Ciao and buon Natale lisa x
Stories behind the ornaments are definitely part of Christmas, lovely post, thanls for sahring your memories. Have a good Christmas and I look forward to following you in 2012.
Lindy I keep saying one year I’ll photograph them all and write a little about each for the kids. My tree is still up so maybe that’s what I need to get done to have me take it down. thanks for all your support and will see you at your blog in 2012. ciao lisa x