Tis the season to be jolly fa la la la la and so on. There has been much discussion about what Christmas away from home is going to be like. By far the hardest bit is going to be being away from family and friends, but we are determined to make it a really enjoyable day.
Not only are we going to be away from all our familiar Christmas rituals, all the usual Christmas gastronomic delights will be absent too. This Christmas is going to be gluten free, dairy free and sugar free. Being unable to fall back on my usual repertoire of Christmas classics and with those dietary restriction it’s a little daunting and there is no way to take any shortcuts. Ugh! 🙁 That said we had a wonderful Christmas Day. Nothing a few very long days cooking couldn’t solve.
Christmas
By Christmas Eves end, Christmas decoratation and lights adorned the van and awning. Ginger bread baking and decorating done both gluten free and non gluten free (to keep everyone happy).
Reindeer food was prepared. Christmas carols had playing almost non-stop. Christmas cooking and prep completed, and at the 11th hour I finally finished sewing the Christmas stockings. We were ready and everyone was excited!
Christmas morning was a magical as usual. Breakfast delicious! Fresh fruit and nuts, homemade egg nog both almond and cows milk, festive pumpkin bread and cinnamon butter. A very happy and relaxed morning the kids played and enjoyed the new toys, we spoke with family and eventually pulled together Christmas lunch.
Lunch really was delicious. Chicken Devine terrine with homemade gravy, local crayfish and seafood sauce, mango salsa, roasted vegetables and spinach, avo and pomegranate salad. A very festive and colourful plate of food and our great little foodie daughters loved it all. Making all the effort worthwhile.
Desert follow not long after with Kens keto trifle which the girls couldn’t eat (due to dairy) so I tried to make a sugar free pavlova that failed miserably. Making a pav in the crapy oven in the van was always going to be a long shot and then when the gas bottle ran out at some point during the cooking the game was up. It did however crumble up to make a beautiful Eaton Mess. Phew!
The remainder of the day passed and relative peace and playfulness. Allowing for a chance to reflect on the many meanings Christmas time can hold and how fortunate and blessed we are.
Boxing Day was spent the way it should be. Doing as little as possible, eating left overs and watching cricket. Since having children the first and last of those have been challenging. But for some reason this year it all come together. The temperature was perfect – warm but not too hot and the kids were content playing with new toys. In the evening Ken took the girls down to the local fair and I even had a moment of peace in the van to myself. Arhhh the serenity.
Unfortunately we were unable to stay any longer in Lakes Entrance as the caravan park was filling up with all the holiday makers that had booked well in advanced, unlike us last minute / fly by the seat of our pants kind of people. Between Christmas preparation and just enjoying Christmas around the van, we saw very little of the sights or delights of Lakes Entrance. It will however be fondly remembered for a fabulous Christmas on the road.
