When my brothers and I were children, and Mum wanted to go to town to do some shopping, she’d drive us all in, park in The Domain, then we’d walk (or maybe then we had the enthusiasm to run!) along the moving footway, emerge in Hyde Park and head to David Jones. This was especially good in the lead-up to Christmas because we’d be able to see the famous window displays at DJs. Even better than that, however, was the stop she made on the way home (at a corner store called the Stud Burger Bar) where she’d buy us all hamburgers to eat when we arrived home.
As we all got a little older, and understood that teenage boys/young men would rather do just about anything than have to go shopping with their mother and sister, it was just Mum and me and, rather than heading into town, we started going instead to Warringah Mall, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The Mall was a relatively modest centre back then; it was never difficult to find a parking spot in what was at the time just a small area of outdoor parking, and it was easy to wander around the entire mall, accumulating gifts, stopping for morning tea or lunch somewhere along the way.
Older still, and for some reason (perhaps because Warringah Mall became so huge) we would return to the city – to Sydney’s CBD. We’d catch the train in, spend most of our time in the shops of the QVB and the Strand Arcade, and really enjoy seeing the city and the shops decorated for Christmas. And again, lunch or morning tea somewhere nice was as important as any shopping would have been.
Since Mum died some years ago, I’ve continued that tradition most years, taking myself into the city by train and wandering the same paths she and I walked together for so many years. It’s not the same without her, and as always I had those really sad moments when I wondered why I was doing it, but I still love the lead-up to Christmas – the decorations, the easy excuse to do a little unnecessary shopping, and the whole festive atmosphere.
So although I had a different journal entry prepared for this month, when I was looking for a picture to include above, I decided on this one I took in Martin Place last week (a combined ‘Wednesday Project’ and ‘day-in-the-city-before-Christmas’ day out), and as I got to thinking about those days out with my mum, it seemed only natural to write more of a Christmas-themed piece than the piece I had ready to go.
Of course all of this stems back to my painting, an ongoing joy, so if you have the time to take in a little art this festive season, here’s what I’m involved in right now (or will be very soon) …
Inner Wheel Charity Art Sale, Gallery 109, 109 Sydney Rd, Manly (NSW), from Wednesday 13 to Sunday 17 December
HAS Christmas Exhibition/Sale, Wallarobba, 25 Edgeworth David Avenue, Hornsby (NSW) until Sunday 17 December
The Combined Art Societies of Sydney (CASS) Online Summer Sale, from Friday 1 December 2023 to Wednesday 31 January 2024
ASMA’s ‘A Closer Look’ at the Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, First St, Booragul (NSW), from Saturday 10 February to Sunday 7 April
Until next month.