The Whittles Down Under: Carols in the Domain

On Saturday night, Coop, Tuck and I joined our friend and babysitter, Fleur and friend, Cyndi at Carols in the Domain which has been a Sydney tradition for almost 30 years. The event is sponsored by Woolworths and the money raised goes to the Salvation Army Youth Oasis Program (not really sure what it is, but a good cause I gather). The place was jammed packed and it took quite some time to find a place for us to lay down our blankets and spread out. After squeezing into a rather small spot, we brought out the food and treats and had a mini-feast. The boys, of course, loved munching on all the goodies we brought. I think Coop ate a whole bag of pretzels himself! It was a super hot day and there were no clouds in sight so we spent a lot of time re-applying sunscreen, drinking water and making shady spots with blankets. We arrived at about 4 pm and the big show didn't start until 8 pm. I am surprised and pleased that the boys lasted until about 8:30 pm! Tucker danced and danced! He was so serious about it- no smiling, just rocking back and forth to the music and clapping. It was hilarious to watch. I put a video on Facebook for those of you who are interested. The biggest part of the event is at dusk, when everybody lights candles (provided by Woolworths in a goodie bag we purchased when we arrived) and sings Christmas carols with the "celebrities" on stage. I had not a clue who any of them were, but was told that one of them is Russell Crowe's wife and several Australian idol stars. The carols were mostly the same as back home. A few different ones and a few with some changes in the lyrics. The classic, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (complete with the silly lyrics between each line) was a huge hit with the crowd while singing "White Christmas" felt a little silly as we tried desperately to stay cool. :)

It was a great afternoon/evening. The boys were exhausted as we walked home, but there was one more surprise waiting for us on the way home. We heard some rustling in the park and stopped to take a look- there were 6 possums scurrying around the trees and ground. We had such fun watching them go. It was a perfect way to end a wonderful day.