Taste of Christmas in the rain.

If you were to paint a picture of an Australian Christmas it would involve hot days, warm nights, swimming, barbecues and endless sunshine.

Come Saturday, or the day of the local Christmas pageant, and we were exposed to a very different Christmas scenario.

The magician who kept the young ones amused while waiting for the start.

Instead of applying sunscreen to squirming faces, umbrellas were spotted amongst the crowd as mummas, papas and grandparents alike tried their best to shield their children from the rain. But of course, come rain or shine, there is nothing that can keep the Christmas spirit from circulating the crowd when the carols start floating in the air. (Note: man standing in pouring rain, with a huge smile plastered on his face that could only be put there when Mariah Carey starts booming through the speakers with 'All i want for Christmas is you.')

Finding the perfect spot

The magic of Christmas to a child was more than noticeable on Saturday when every single parent or care giver was huddled under shelter, while their children were in the rain. They were sacrificing dry and warm clothes just for the opportunity to be that much closer to the festivities or that much more likely to score the lollies and candy off of the clowns passing by. Dedication i tell ya, dedication that only a child could have.

I have to admit though, Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year. The atmosphere is always unbelievable, and despite the dreary weather on Saturday the atmosphere at the pageant did not disappoint. I stood holding everyone's jackets, and hats and water bottles and uneaten snacks, and in the process of doing so must have looked so apart of the 'mum and dad' crowd that a man walked right on up to me and offered me a flier which read: 'Mother's club: Christmas edition - helping mum's buy the perfect gifts.' I like to think I smiled politely and took it but in reality i probably gave the poor guy a 'dude, I am 17, I'm not their mother, I'm just the babysitter!' face.

The young boy who sat in the rain for the entirety of the pageant.

 

Little drummer girl.

So let me be honest. I think I enjoyed the taste of Christmas a whole lot more than some of the children on Saturday and I am fine with that. I found myself more than once waving at the floats, then realised I'm meant to be the adult here. I later also realised that most of the adults around me were doing the exact same thing. And later, we sang along to carols and clapped when the bands came past and it all felt pretty ideal.

Like someone once told me, 'never fail to find the good in your days.'

We found spirit and excitement in wet and dreary

Christmas is on it's way, and I couldn't be happier. Here's to carols, christmas lights and late night gift wrapping.

XX