When I was young, our family always had a hot, traditional English Christmas dinner in the middle of the day on December 25th, which of course, is the height of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
I wrote about the ham elsewhere, but in addition to that we nearly always had a goose or roast chickens, with appropriate stuffing and gravy, fresh peas, lovely new season beans and carrots, roast potatoes and our Tomato and Onion Thing. The tomato and onion thing is a wonderful easy dish that we’ve traditionally served with Christmas dinner and other roast dinners during the year. This morning I was listening to people talking on talkback radio about what they cook and serve for Christmas dinner, and a retired soldier said they often had it in the Australian Army where it is/was known as “Trainsmash” To make it: Butter around the inside of a medium pyrex or ceramic baking dish. From day+ old bread make about 4-5 cups of bread crumbs; thinly slice a large white onion, open a large tin of tomatoes or a small jar of home bottled ones – for this recipe we always used tinned or bottled, and imho they have a more satisfying flavour than fresh. Begin with onions, some tomato juice and chopped pulp, add a layer of breadcrumbs with S&P to taste if necessary, and repeat, ending with breadcrumbs. You might need to make more crumbs. Dot small dobs of butter on the top and bake at a medium heat until golden brown on top. Or, if you use a food processor, add some butter to the last of the crumbs blend and sprinkle on top.
In Gran’s Methodist home where no alcohol was ever consumed, there were jugs of delicious fruit cup on the table with floating mint and fresh berries mixed into commercial aerated cordials and soda water from an antique soda syphon on the sideboard. We only ever had fizzy drinks at Christmas and birthday parties during the year, and the diamond cut crystal tumblers in which it was served were also never used during the year. At each place was a colourful Christmas cracker on the plate with one of Gran’s white damask serviettes.
We began by saying grace, then joined hands, pulled the crackers, donned the flimsy paper tissue party hats and read out the silly jokes from the inside with laughter or groans at the terrible ones. As the men set to carving the birds and ham, the rest of the adults shared in the job of making sure everyone received some of everything. The serving of food and drinks to us all was busy work, and each year, rivulets of sweat wandered down Dad’s and John’s cheeks to be mopped away at around ear level – not a pretty sight, and inevitably the conversation turned to the suggestion with: “Perhaps we could have a cold lunch next year?” We never did.
Today many Aussie families have their annual Christmas feast on Christmas Eve and head for the pool or to the beach on the 25th itself. Having said that, though, I recall one year in the Boulder house when the temperature was over 100F from mid morning to late in the evening- it was a real stinker; but the following year a fire had to be lit in the lounge-dining room because it was so cold. Many Aussies celebrate with menus that our parents would never have considered appropriate. Fresh seafood is popular, as are specialty foods of all kinds to cook on the barbie. A large proportion of Australian citizens were born in non-Christian countries and celebrate something other than Christmas at the end of the year. Political correctness is getting a bit silly I think, but there are people who seriously claim you should say ‘Happy Holidays’ to be quite sure you don’t offend anyone who is Muslim or Jewish, for example. My view is that, as every one of the world’s major religions has important holidays celebrated at or near the end of the year, it really doesn’t matter, because I believe a well-intentioned greeting of “Happy Christmas” will surely be well received in the friendly spirit in which it was spoken.
Where ever you live, do you think such political correctness has all gone too far in recent years?
Why is it hard to include everyone in your holiday greeting. Don’t you think that jews and muslims get very tired of having to consider your holidays while any small gesture to inclusiveness like simply saying Happy Holidays is considered unacceptable and labeled “politically correct” as if that’s a bad thing, correct, right there in the phrase.
I just don’t understand why it’s so hard to be polite.
Happy Holidays.
You have a point, Chinton, and thanks for commenting.
However, now in my 70’s, I grew up in, and have always lived in, predominantly Christian countries, so wishing someone Happy Christmas is my habit of a lifetime – It’s the thing that feels most right to me. I’m not particularly religious, and wouldn’t be offended if someone got the greeting wrong for me; though by my appearance most would be hard pressed to place me as anything but a white, anglo saxon protestant.
Populations of many countries have become more mixed, less homogeneous, particularly since WWII, and even trying hard you can so easily make the wrong greeting without knowing, or by assuming, someone’s background. Under those circumstances I believe no offence is taken, because none was intended. We should all relax and most importantly be kind in acknowledging our fellow men in this Season of Goodwill. These days more and more I’m skipping the Christmas bit, and going straight to Feliz Ano, or Happy New Year.