The Christmas money shot

Like any other fellow Australian, I know that Christmas time is about long, summery days. Hot days and sometimes nights. The smell of pine wafting out your window on a warm breeze. Eating your hot roast at lunch whilst the sweat beads on your forehead and causes the paper crown to stick. I know it. I’ve lived it.But that romantic notion of cold, of snow, of winter and Christmas, is something we still dream about. Well I do at least.

I have rules about lighting the fire down here outside of normal transmission times. The apparent temp has to be below 10. It has to feel cold. I have to see some smoke coming out of other chimneys in the Village. And if it’s almost Christmas and we are *almost* there, then you go right ahead. BECAUSE OH MY STARS CHRISTMAS AND THE FIRE ARE MEANT FOR EACH OTHER.

Tonight, I am pretending, just for the night, that it’s much colder than it is (although it’s just 8 degrees outside), that some snow is falling somewhere. And that Christmas is indeed, just around the corner.

I like it very much indeed. I knew you would too.

While we are talking Christmas pretty, there’s plenty more where that came from on my very first Edition of BEVERLEY an iPad magazine. Download it from the iTunes store here. Go on!

Comments

  1. i was just commenting today how awesome it would be if it snowed in Oz. Really…..what an experience that would be! If it was colder here I would whack on my fire too, but alas it is not! ๐Ÿ™ xxx gorgeous.

  2. I know what you mean. Is it because we have grown up with Christmas cards that show lovely snowy wintery sights. I spent 5 years in the UK and have found I need to really amp up the Christmas songs and decorations to make if feel Christmassy here in NZ. Christmas on “acid” if you will x

  3. I’m trying to convince Country Boy to light the fire. It is cold, but I actually just want to enjoy the fire with the Christmas decorations around it too. He won’t go chop the wood though. Meany

  4. Oh Christmas and fire do go so well together, you are right.

    I’ve had one winter Christmas, in Paris with my family when I was about eighteen. It was nice but a bit strange. It was so dark and cold out that after we ate our lunch we all promptly fell asleep and woke up to black night skies. I much prefer the active, outdoors, aussie christmas that is as much about swimming and playing cricket as it is about the food and presents!
    x Laura

  5. Where did you get that Xmas tree from? It’s incredible!

  6. I know what you mean about Christmas and snow.
    At the age of 23 I went on a ski holiday Canada, met, fell in love and then married a Canadian ski instructor and proceeded to spend the next 25 years living in Canada.
    I loved the snow, especially at Christmas. I lived those scenes from the Christmas cards, and decorated my house with lights in true Grizwald fashion. We always cut down a fresh tree, I loved the smell as well.
    Now I’m divorced and have been back in Australia and have lived on the Sunshine Coast in QLD since 2006, and just love it!
    Now Christmas morning is spent at the beach, and a cold lunch served on the deck.
    So different, but equally as good.

  7. Oh I love your tree Beth!! I need you to come and make my tree pretty too! xo

  8. How do we live in the same country. I’m in awe of the fact that it is cold where you are when I spent a hot day under a big old mango tree getting cooled by the breeze. LOVE Christmas both ways x

  9. Gorgeous scenes Beth! I would love to have a snowy Christmas for a change, but that’s never going to happen here in Qld.
    Tonight the kids have been alternating between the trampoline and pool, and all fans are GO!

  10. Divine, sweet Bev-editor!!! Xox

  11. So much loveliness Beth. I don’t know where to start…. the tree, the fire, the reindeer, the warmth that is seeping from these shots. LOVE it!!!!!

    We just returned from 2 weeks in Japan – oh my Lordy….they know how to put Christmas on!!!!! It was magic. All of it!!! And the fact that it was FREEZING…made it feel ever more Christmassy!!!

    And whilst over there and needing some reading material, I downloaded your app and purchased the 1st issue of Beverly. Loved it – you clever chicken. Totally steeling the watermelon xmas trees idea & LOVE LOVE LOVE the cocktails. Great work Beth. You’re amazing!

    x

  12. We have the snow here (alas, no wood fire), but all I want is to eat mangoes and watermelon Christmas trees, and plan beach days out! The grass is always greener ๐Ÿ˜‰
    x Rhi
    ps. I think your tree has grown!!!

    • I agree! It’s getting wider and wider AND we always want what we don’t have. I’m lucky to have had the chance to have a touch of cold with warmer weather on it’s way later in the week!

  13. Growing up in chilly snowy (well in winter) south Gippsland hills my childhood Christmas day’s did involve a fire believe it or not! We often have a fire Christmas day, and yes it is lovely. That’s at my mums for Christmas eve/morning/lunch…then down to the warmer beach at my husbands family with seafood bonanza and cricket! Best of both worlds.

    P.S. I really want Beverley, she’s calling me, alas no ipad ๐Ÿ™ Am I the last person on earth not to own one?! I think yes.

  14. Absolutely. stunning. Well done Lady, you NAILED the Christmas money shot. Money! xoxo

  15. I must admit, since moving to this cold part of the world, Christmas has made a whole lot more sense to me. The traditions, the candlelight, the fireplace, Christmas lights shining in the dark and the dusting of snow. It is spectacular. It is everything I imagined as a little girl in Australia, sweltering at school while cutting out snowflakes for the windows wondering if the teachers were indeed crazy…..

  16. you know i flat out love that picture!! be still my heart! i wish i had a fire. i would be lighting that baby pretty much every night!

  17. Hahaha in our part of Robertson it is like a stand off, who is going to light their fire first, all waiting for someone else to do it before you. I said to my hubby this morning I might just embrace the cold and treat it as a winter Christmas instead of waiting for one hot day to be followed by 5 cold ones.

  18. THAT TREE!! Gaaaaah. So beautiful.

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