I hope you all have a lovely Christmas celebrating with booze, food and family or whatever makes Christmas great for you.

Last year I celebrated Christmas in Cambodia with some family and friends. It’s actually a bit blurry now (there was a lot of booze involved) but I do have one specific memory of a cockroach crawling over my lap at dinner, causing me to jump up and scream, frightening my husband sitting next to me half to death who then also jumped up and accidently headbutted my cousin right in the face. It was quite funny. They were both fine. The people next to us then asked if we’d just seen the same huge rat they’d seen ten minutes earlier. No no, just a cockroach, but we’ll look out for the rat, was our reply.

This year I’m celebrating Christmas in Sydney (with said cousin and husband again). Sydney is marginally more Christmasy than Cambodia but not Christmasy at all compared to London. And it’s not just because it is hot (well, it’s currently bucketing it down outside), I couldn’t even find pre-made pigs in blankets in Coles, one of the main supermarket chains in Sydney.

I often moan about England overdoing the whole Christmas thing, which seems to start earlier and earlier every year, but I am missing it just a little this year. They do Christmas a bit differently in Sydney. Christmas songs aren’t played on repeat in the supermarkets and every shop you enter, they eat roast ham instead of  turkey and public transport actually runs on Christmas Day! It’s all just a lot more chilled and less chaotic, like Sydney in general. But the best thing is I don’t feel pressurised to spend loads of money on gifts, decorations and food and I can go to the beach to chill on Boxing Day.

We’ll be celebrating with a very untraditional but no doubt lovely picnic in the park with sunshine (hopefully) and a view of Sydney Harbour.

After a couple of Christmases away next year I’ll be looking forward to a full-on English freeze-fest Christmas, complete with homemade mince pie and pe-bought pigs in blankets and all my family.

Whatever you’re doing and whoever you’re celebrating Christmas with I hope you enjoy the holidays.