Dear Healthy Lifestyle participant,

 

Christmas means a lot of different things to people… the end of another year, a time put aside for families to come together, a time to stop and relax and have some holiday fun.  The Healthy Lifestyle staff would like to share with you what Christmas means to each of them:

Joanna: Christmas is about seeing my family, taking time to give to others, along with the joy of children who still believe in the magic of it all!

Nina: Fun chaos in the house, Elf radio, decorations, bringing us to a time for forgiveness and new starts.

Teresa:  Christmas is a time for giving, gatherings, great food and colourful decorations. It is also a very spiritual occasion for many people and a day of traditions.

June: Christmas, for me is a time of remembering the past, all the presents I eagerly waited for, opening each with delight and as the years roll by, it is not presents I eagerly wait for but the presence of my family.

Michele:  Christmas always sweeps me back to my childhood and now with my little Granddaughter’s help I am enjoying the delights of Christmas so much more!

Every year we do it! Whether we detest it or love it we drag the Christmas tree out or buy a fresh one and adorn it with decorations. We may struggle to untangle lights and get every bauble we have ever collected onto the branches and groan under the weight of its new jewels. But when you step back you smile, it was worth it! The Christmas tree is majestic standing in our homes spreading the joy and magic this season brings.

 

Evergreen trees and plants have been used to celebrate winter festivals for thousands of years, long before the advent of Christianity. Branches of evergreen fir were used to decorate homes to brighten people’s spirits during the winter solstice. The idea of bringing the evergreen into the house represents fertility and new life in the darkness of winter. Holly, ivy and mistletoe were the few flowering plants at winter therefore hold special significance at Christmas time.

 

While the Christmas tree originated in Germany, it was Britain's Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who popularised it in the 1840's and 1850's. Victoria and Albert were popular royals and soon every British home had a tree decked out with decorations, candles and sweets.

 

While in Australia we may eat different foods at Christmas time to our Northern Hemisphere neighbours and celebrate in the middle of our summer, we still have a Christmas tree.

(Source: ABC) 

Well we did it… we completed our pilot Virtual Classes for Term 4 2021. You may think chair exercises are not for you but boy did our Exercise Leaders, Ing and Eleanor, give the participants (and our staff) a great workout - sweat was seen on a few brows!  It was delightful seeing the enthusiastic participants each week and I must say looking fabulous and feeling proud of their fantastic achievements - being our pioneers. With the support of our staff there were very few IT issues and we all learnt a few new skills along the way!

 

Following this positive experience, we will be offering two virtual classes in Term 1 2022 which will run on Wednesday at 11:30 am and 12:30 pm. If you are a new participant, we will step you through a Tech Check before term to ensure you can access the class. You may even consider joining us to supplement your regular face to face class for extra benefits!

Try this simple and delicious dip to bring the festive colours to your table.

Ingredients

• 125g cream cheese
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
• 1 small clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind (finely grated)
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• 24 crackers (to serve)
• fresh vegetables (to serve)

Method

1. Place cheese, basil, nuts, garlic, rind and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth and combined. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until required.
2. Serve dip with crackers and fresh vegetables.

Notes: Try using the leftovers as a sandwich spread.

 

(Source: Nutrition Australia)

These anagrams are tough but I hope you have fun nutting them out!  If you re-arrange the letters they all form Christmas related words

• Miss Chatterer          (Clue: 2 words)
• Totems Lie                (Clue: 1 word)
• Coordinates              (Clue: 1 word)
• Starfish Rematch      (Clue: 2 words)
• Tossing Eagerness   (Clue: 2 words)