One of the many things I love about Australia at Christmas is the tradition of carols in the park.
A summers evening, nearly at the end of term, nothing else planned - so we hopped in the car to our local council presentation of carols by candlelight.
The best bits -
- We did not have to arrive four hours early to score a park just directly next to the entrance, nor did not have to park a four hour walk away from the park
- There was a free sausage sizzle and free coffee and free hot chocolate
- There were dinky little fake flame torches for the kids (more stuff for free) - to save me getting all in a panic over burns from dripping wax
- There was a top notch kids entertainment act as a warm up act to the carols. Interactive panto-esque audience participation. Let us knacker these children out before we get to the peaceful carolling.
- The MC blokey was an absolute professional - great singing voice, generous with his jokes, good with kids.
- Santa - he was a lovely old gent - I tend to be a little wary of the creepy looking skinny Santas with ill- fitting red coats and ill fitting beards - this one was very cuddly and trad. And the kids had a right old chinwag with him as they kept their eyes on the lolly bag loot. (Also free. I am beginning to suspect I know why we pay so much in council rates...it all goes to fund shindigs like the carols by candlelight!)
- The lovely ladies and gents of the St Johns were all out in force - and their services were not required all night. Phew.
- The local council helpers did a sterling job on corralling all the oldies with chairs up to the back and herding all the families with kids and picnic rugs to the front - no whinging.
- No smoking allowed - apart from one feral, who Charlie told off. That's my boy!
- The carols by candlelight was held at a local lacrosse club. Sports club. Club. Club bar. Club bar prices. The lovely husband was a happy man, paying only $3 for the odd bottle of Coopers Pale Ale.
- The Australian Girls Choir - all decked out in hot pink choir outfits - sensational singing!
- The brass band. Can I admit, quietly here (and I may need to blog about this in more depth at a later time) that brass band music brings me to instant happy tears? Totally overcome, ever single time. The lovely husband looked sideways at me the minute they started, and smiled as he passed me a tissue. I love him nearly as much as I love brass bands.
- Carols. Christmas carols. With a songbook and everything. It was just lovely.
The very best bit? A picnic. I packed a picnic. Hard boiled egg sandwiches, cheese, fresh strawberries and fresh gingerbread. And chippies! Oh, how I adore me a big bag of chippies!
I scoffed a whole bag of Ajitas Vege Deli Rice Chips. They are bloody lovely. (I was sent some to try. I had been resisting temptation. At 80% less fat than normal chippies, I have no doubt they will become a regular treat.) They are TOO nice. The kids also really liked them. Which is a bit annoying - I eat chippies so rarely that I am selfish in wanting them all to myself!
Anyway, as I leaned back on the picnic rug with my beer and my chips, crying happy tears at the brass band, not fretting about the kids burning themselves, I felt supremely content. It seems Christmas is a state of mind, rather than a date. Who knew?!
If you'd like to try the Ajitas Vege Deli Rice Chips, just make sure you are following my blog and leave me a comment and tell me where you'd like to take your picnic rug? I have a months supply of these divine chippies to give away. So leave me a comment and I will use Random.Org to pick a winner this time next week. (Open to Australian residents only.)
Tell me your favoured picnic spot? And do you do carols by candlelight?
Online Competitions
We picnic - ed at Carols last night, it was wonderful. But chilly towards the end.
ReplyDeleteLately, after a big day of creche and work we have started having our regular fish and chips as a picnic on the lounge room floor. Followed by pop corn and BHG on TV. Not the life I once led, but a wonderful part of my week!
And, of course we all love chippies!!!
I am secretly glad you admitted to the brass band sob...Im a serial carols crier.
ReplyDeleteI'd take my picnic rug to the beautiful copacabana beach on the NSW central coast and make my kids listen for the umpteenth time about how my lovely husband proposed on the rocks one beautiful autumn day.
We're doing carols on norton st this sunday - much prefer that to the over the top one at the domain!
We did Carols last night in Alice Springs of all places, not as sophisticated as your shindig but Christmassy all the same. Love Carols and the Big Brass Bands too.
ReplyDeleteNormally I'd say I love to picnic at the beach but now it would be anywhere we unhitch the caravan and when we get to Tassie I suspect it will be on top of our hill.
Loving your Aussie christmas posts by the way :-)
Mel xx
Hi Lucy
ReplyDeleteWe like to take our picinic rug to New Farm Park - great playground equipment that keeps kids entertained for a couple of hours. Yep, that's right! Not 10 minutes - a couple of hours.
And no, we don't go to Carols by Candlelight though we do watch on TV
Cheers
Karlene
Last night we had a picnic in front of the wood burner, we cooked pizzas.
ReplyDeleteYour evening sounds lovely and I also love the sound of a brass band all my boys played a brass instrument for a while having said that my youngest still is. When they practiced those were different tears.
We missed the carols this year because of the damned rain! It has been hideous. We did picnic on Sunday down at the local National Park. Just superb! I haven't tried those chips - will have to keep an eye out for them x
ReplyDeleteOur local carols are in a beautiful park by the sea. It gets a bit hectic with the market stalls & carny rides - once that finishes & the carols start around sunset, it is just magic.
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We love to picnic on the grass near the beach. Picnic-ing on the beach gets sand in everything and I hate sand in my food.
ReplyDeleteWe don't do carols by candlelight because the mosquitoes eat me alive, even if I drench myself in anti-mozzie spray.
we love picnicing at the beach and teasing all the seagulls with our yummy food!
ReplyDeletewe haven't been to Carols by Candlelight for many many years, the older ones are no longer interested and the younger ones are always in bed before it gets dark!
We haven't done Christmas Carols as yet but it is on my list.
ReplyDeleteWe like to take our picnic blanket by the lake so the girls can run around, check out the ducks and swans and if they're lucky, near a playground.
Where do we picnic ~ Loads of times on the beautiful sunny beach near us ! Love to wriggle my feet in sand .
ReplyDeleteWe wont be going to carols this year :-( We sometimes do but this time we will watch it on telly then go out for Dinner lol
Love the carols. We do it every year down the road in a natural ampitheatre across the road from the beach. Just magic. The kids slide down the bank on cardboard boxes (BYO cardboard) and the grown ups have a glass of bubbles and chat and sing and watch the stars come out.
ReplyDeleteThose chips look pretty tasty too. ;)
I don't mind where we picnic we will head on out and have a picnic in many places.
ReplyDeleteWhen i was young my mum used to throw a rug in the front or backyard and make us sandwiches for lunch and that would be a fantastic picnic.
My favourite place for picnic and carols is our backyard.Dad loves to cook on his barbeque for all of us and we love to sing carols...
ReplyDeleteI love taking the kids down to the park for picnic. They can run around, chase the ducks, look for turtles. Its lovely
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go for a picnic somewhere in the Blue Mountains.
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