It’s the time of year that can rile us to breaking-point. The hype sends us crazy.

Even the kindest souls can turn into swooping seagulls at the mere mention of “free gift-wrapping.”

The crescendo builds towards one day in the calendar year where we max out our credit cards to shower gifts on our loved ones, gifts we want (and sometimes don’t want) and often don’t need.

Emotions hit tear-jerker highs at Christmas. The big day drives me into pitiful perfectionist territory. I succumb to sleepless nights and long lists scribbling down everything from three-course menus, excessive shopping lists right down to how many toilet paper rolls should stand at the ready. Tick. Got it. Oh yes, must do that. Tick.

Watch out anyone within an arm’s length if I reach the Glad Wrap end-of-roll without back-up…

Sad but true. There is no saving me.

Tears and tantrums aside, this year Christmas Day went off without a hitch. Strategically hitting the shops well before the crazed consumer frenzy and whipping up feasts for the masses; peeling prawns, stuffing turkey and baking ham like a woman possessed. I julienned vegetables, honey roasted pumpkin, macerated fruit for a booze-filled Christmas cake and whisked up home-made everything that added inches to hips after minutes on the lips.

I morphed into Nigella (without the bosom or seductive pout) feeling every bit the queen of cuisine with my partner in crime carving up his carnivorous storm.

With champagne flowing and family seated ready to feast, our own version of  “The 12 Days of Christmas” was met with resounding applause and squirms of embarrassment. Presents exchanged, bellies were fed and all on a scorching Adelaide summer’s day where we were blissfully oblivious to the record heat outside.

We drank. We ate. We gave. So how do we feel?

Blessed.

With the rush over quicker than you can say “Michael Buble,” it’s onward and upward for 2017.

What will it hold? Where will we go? It’s exciting to think about.

Right now, we’re enjoying the festive afterglow; the excitement, the exhaustion, and the expense. The temperature has dropped (along with my heart rate), relaxation has set in and all that remain are the memories and the copious leftovers.

So, who’s up for New Years?

KS x