A VERY CHRISTMAS FIKA TO YOU!
I love traditions. I have new ones every year.
Part of their charm is the promise of a more meaningful season, a chance to slow down and enjoy the moments of the seasons: the first kiss of sunburn, ashflakes falling from a nearby bushfire, each one unique in its own way, and enjoy them with family and friends. Like with cousin Louis, absent from last year’s celebrations by lockdowns and a general apprehension to leave him alone with your cat.
The other part of their charm is how the fulfilment of the said promise of calm, is yet another thing that needs planning and organising at Christmas time: the groceries for the traditional Christmas meal, booking in dinners for the traditional ‘girls Christmas catch up’, crafting for the traditional hand made Swedish decorations, baking for the traditional gingerbread house demolition.
This is the true cheeky charm of Christmas traditions, they are a self-fulfilling prophecy, wonderfully circular. It is only after the elevation of the stress and burden of creating Christmas traditions can the marvellous, magical and alleviating effects of Christmas traditions be felt.
EAT
Christmas recipes don’t all have to be comatose inducing meals, but they do have to take a long time, use ingredients you don’t have on hand, have many opportunities to misunderstand instructions, and use a big knife. This recipe ticks those boxes!
Jamie Oliver’s Roast Butternut Pumpkin
DRINK
Okay yes we know, we’ve already written about how much we love our neighbours and playing in the street with them and making weird and wonderful concoctions in the backyard with them and making our mums try them. But we really do and you should really try what we invented! Mum loved it. Really she actually did. Here’s what we made!
Cold Brew and Amaro
Pour
30ml Imbroglio
90ml cold brew
60ml tonic
Over ice
Swizzle with a swizzle stick
READ/WATCH
Reading in December should be reserved for late Christmas arvo post lunch with a book like ‘How To Save Money and Move Out’ that you got from your parents, so instead I’ll suggest some Christmas movies/Christmas specials.
Ranked number one in What Were They Thinking? The 100 Dumbest Events In Television History.
Harrison Ford denies its existence.
Nathan writes “I’m not convinced the special wasn’t ultimately written and directed by a sentient bag of cocaine.”
I’m intrigued. Apparently the cartoon segment is excellent!
Also I’ve just found out that Lethal Weapon takes place during Christmas so it’s going on the list.
LISTEN
As most of my fika suggestions thus far have been a bit Christmas unspirity, I will make it up here with a story of enchantment, pine forests, gingerbread, and (no, not Hansel and Gretal) the Sugar Plum Fairy! Yes, The Nutcracker. Best enjoyed prancing round the living room eating coconut ice, chocolate eclairs and cognac if you’re feeling fancy. Grandma’s sherry if not.
Merry Christmas!
Photo by Lynda Hinton
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