Elisabeth Easther thinks she's found the perfect solution for a stress-free Christmas.
Every year on January 25 my father would gleefully point out to my mother that it was only 11 more months until Christmas. I never did understand why Mum's lips pursed at the prospect. Christmas coming? Again? The mere whiff of it rendered me ecstatic - oddly, Mum was less delighted.
Now that I'm older (and moderately wiser) I understand Mum's lack of enthusiasm. She wasn't a grinch and she loved having people around, but for her the festive season was a grind of shopping, cooking and cleaning. As for the time our cat contrived to spend the night in the pantry with the defrosting turkey - Mum took it in her stride with some artfully draped bacon - peace and goodwill would've been the last things she felt upon waking that morning.
These days, with a "to do" list as long as my arm, I get where Mum was coming from. Will we have enough cream? Enough strawberries? Have I bought enough plastic tat to fill a stocking? Have I bought the right presents for the various nephews whose fancies I find it hard to keep up with? Spending sunny December days jostling with crowds in malls sends me into a spin and don't start me on the cost of Christmas - or my horror when the bank statements arrive in January.
Christmas is meant to be fun - why does it feel so fraught? This year, a solution has fallen into my lap - the Christmas miracle I craved. I was offered the chance to go on a cruise around the outer islands of Tahiti from December 11-28 - the only catch being I'd have to write a few stories. The Aranui 3 is a freighter vessel that plies a route around the Tuamotu and Marquesa Islands and it's touted as being one of the best adventure cruises in the world. Squealing on the inside, I didn't have to think twice. Yes please, I said, feeling like I'd just won the lottery.
