It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Noosa's Christmas Tree - Hastings St, Noosa Heads

Christmas for those of us in the southern hemisphere is a time of heat, humidity, thunderstorms, baking sun and the summer school holidays.  This means lots of time at the beach and in the pool, and in days long gone, running in the sprinkler.  It means mangos and stone fruit are plentiful in the shops and iceblocks are plentiful in the freezer at home.

What this also means is it's time to plan your family Christmas lunch/dinner.  And so begins the perennial struggle between cold meat, seafood and salad vs a traditional (northern hemisphere) baked dinner, pavlova or trifle vs hot Christmas Pudding.  Or do we do the lot and spend far too long in our hot kitchens, when we really should be out on the deck with a cold drink.  Most families struggle to combine the traditions of both spouses to keep everyone satisfied and in touch with their own little ways of doing things.

The key, as with most big events, is to plan ahead and get your shopping and baking done early, then you can relax and enjoy the day. In my family, we usually choose to serve cold meats (including a baked ham) and salads, followed by Christmas cake and slices, with the addition of a few items that give a nod to our Polish heritage. Some of my must haves on Christmas Day include:

• Ham off the bone, and yes it's more than okay if it's cold!
• Potato Salad - using Grandma M's recipe, which we think we have nearly worked out - and you must use Miracle Whip as the dressing
• Pierogi - Polish dumplings (think semi-circle shaped ravioli) which I can usually get at my local markets from the 'Polish lady'.  Interestingly though there's now a company in South Australia making them commercially.  We'll be trying their pork and beef, and potato and cheese flavours this Christmas.  There's not too much preparation for pierogi - boil them up in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, when they float to the top let them got for another 2-3 mins, then serve with a melted butter, crispy bacon and sauteed onions.  You can even drain them and then throw them in the pan with the bacon and onions to get a bit of colour and crispiness.
• White Christmas - best Christmas slice ever - see below!
• Rum Balls - my brother is the master at these, and eating more than 2 could put you way over the limit!
• Mangos - eat them for breakfast, make a smoothie for mid-morning whilst you're waiting for everyone to arrive or blend into a daiquiri (later in the day!)
• Stone fruit - plums, cherries, apricots

What are your family Christmas 'dinner' traditions?

The recipe below is attributed to my Mum, 'Tricia, in my recipe book.  I love the lemonyness of White Christmas.  It makes a great contrast to the sweetness of everything else we consume on Christmas Day.  Don't be fooled, there is plenty of sweetness in this with all the dried fruit.

Mum's White Christmas
2 cups Rice Bubbles
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 cups powdered milk
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup mixed dried fruit and cherries (I always use a whole 375g box of mixed fruit and add a few more glace cherries if there doesn't look like enough)
125g copha, melted
1/2 cup lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons)

1.  Combine dry ingredients and mixed fruit.  Mix well.
2. Add copha and lemon juice.  Mix well.
3. Press into a slice tin, lined with baking paper.
4. Refrigerate until set. 
5. Lift from tin and slice into squares.  Dust with icing sugar.