A Merry Beachside Christmas 2020

A panorama of Avoca Beach on Christmas Day

Sam and I look to sea

Even the worst things can sometimes have unexpected silver linings. CoVid-19 has very few silver linings, and being stuck in Australia for Christmas - my first Christmas & birthday away from home EVER - was at first really *not* a silver lining for me. But, I must report that it was wonderful to spend Christmas at Avoca Beach with our friends. We decided to meld as many of our various Christmas traditions as possible. It was a beach holiday with champagne, luscious food and presents. Only a few things could have made it better. 

Soggy Kookaburras

Around October, or even earlier if we'd wanted to admit it to ourselves, the writing was on the wall that we would be staying in Aus for the holidays. So, Drew and I and the other Christmas Orphans - Diego, Sam, and Anna - started talking about what we should do. Beach house was the clear answer. Accordingly, and after a couple of false starts, we rented a house in Avoca for five nights over Christmas & my birthday. Avoca is a small beach town that feels much farther away from Sydney than its 1.5 hour drive time. 

On December 22nd, we loaded up a rented SUV with overnight bags stuffed with bathing suits, bottles of wine clanking, and presents piled high, totally obscuring the rear window, and packed ourselves in for the quick drive out of the city. 

That evening we ate raw oysters and champagne to celebrate surviving the year in the first place and actually getting to the beach house, which honestly felt like a mighty achievement. 

Me and Drew post-surf lesson

The following morning, Drew and I had surf lessons with the Central Coast Surf Academy, to which we wore our gorgeous Ugly Christmas Rashies. What a work out! It was so much fun - only my second lesson, but Drew's 5th perhaps. The thing about surfing is that you think the getting up part will be hard, and it is, but what you forget about is the 500 push-ups you'll do on an unstable surface while waves crash over you, as you contemplate whether *this* wave is really a wave you can catch or if you should wait for the next one. By the end of our lesson, my arms and chest were so tired that I gave up trying to stand and body-boarded through the waves instead (also very fun). Afternoon was nap time and reading, quiet conversations on the patio or in the bright living room. Drew cooked a ham for supper that night, with jerk seasoning and sweet potatoes. Stellar. 

Nog-quiris! 

The next day: Christmas Eve. Drew, Anna and I surfed again in the morning - on Christmas Eve!! Instead of hoping for snow, I was hoping for sun and a low tide. As per Diego's family's tradition, we had our big Christmas meal on Christmas Eve. I made egg nog (from scratch) daiquiris - aka Nog-quiris or Lait-de-Poule-adas, if you prefer - which hit the spot indeed. As per Australian tradition and guided by Sam, we had a massive seafood feast. We cooked flathead lobsters (also less attractively called Morton Bay bugs) on the BBQ, and Drew fried up barramundi, and I contributed my family's traditional broccoli and cauliflower casserole side dish to the meal. We had champagne and Christmas crackers, and we wore the paper crowns AS IS OBLIGATORY. We ate until stuffed - fou' as a wulk, as Gran would say.

Christmas Eve Orphan Feast

After dinner, we retired to the living room for a Secret Santa gift exchange. Sam gave me some amazing earrings that say 'Boss Lady' on them - very much looking forward to wearing those on future Zoom calls. Anna gave Drew a new cycling cap and a book called 'Wild Swimming Sydney', which is packed with amazing hikes and bike rides to various swimming spots around the greater Sydney area. Drew and I are setting a goal for 2021 to do at least one walking or camping weekend each month, and this book is the perfect guide. 

Christmas Day was dark and stormy. Drew and I opened our stockings in bed, and we gave each other snorkelling gear for Christmas presents. We had coffee and Diego's delicious home-made stollen on the patio in the half-light of an overcast sky, and retreated to the Monopoly board when the rain came down. We took a walk by stormy seas in the afternoon, and Drew and Diego were brave enough to get into the crashing and crossing waves. The wind was saturated with salt. We went back to the house to BBQ sausages and potato salad, and after supper games accompanied by shortbread and chocolates.

Merry Christmas from Avoca

Birthday Feast!

My birthday away was also excellent, and Drew cooked up a feast as usual. We got a bit more sun on Boxing Day - enough to head down to the beach with boogie boards, beers, and finska. We played until it became overcast again, and headed back to the house. Drew made a huge feast of prawn Pad Thai, green mango salad, chicken skewers, and tamarind & lemonade rum cocktails. It was magnificent. 

We packed up and left on the 27th, with not a little longing to stay for a few more days. The weather has been grey and rainy since we returned to Sydney, bathing the days over Christmas in extra-sunny light of memory. 

Though next year, I definitely want to go home for the holidays, Christmas in Avoca was really fantastic. It was also lovely to not be travelling at Christmas for the first time in years. As much as I love going home at this time of year, the travel is always extra hectic and we have had multiple stressful mishaps involving snowstorms or missed connections. So, I see the appeal of staying put - and I see why people always want us to travel to them! Maybe in the future we will be able to convince people to travel to us instead, and recreate our beach Christmas with our families. 💙

A last look - and a hope to return