The nativity like you've never seen it before

With just two sleeps left before Christmas is upon us for another year, I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Take a look at this digital version of the Christmas story. It's brilliant. Enjoy!



A night with Bon Jovi

Most of us could easily name at least one Bon Jovi song. He’s an artist whose career has successfully spanned a number of decades, hair styles and fashion trends. And after seeing his second Sydney concert, there is no doubt he knows how to entertain.

While I’m not a huge Bon Jovi fan I do own at least one of his CDs and definitely enjoy his music. So when the band announced their Circle tour in 2009, I fired off an SMS to my hubby suggesting we go. And so last night we did. We joined about 36,000 other fans at the Sydney Football Stadium for one of Bon Jovi’s last Australian shows.

I was definitely impressed. We both had a great night. At almost 50, Jon Bon Jovi still looks and sounds fantastic. And the same goes for his band. They performed for more than two and a half hours with barely a break. He didn’t talk to the crowd a lot – instead he told us he was going to stop talking and start squawking.

The crowd was a reflection of just how diverse Bon Jovi’s fan base is. We were surrounded by people of all backgrounds, young and old. Women of all ages were everywhere (as evidenced by the length of the queue for the ladies).

While lining up for a snack, I struck up a conversation with a teenage girl. She was at the concert with her middle aged mum. With a Bon Jovi bedspread, pillow, posters and t-shirts her mum had been waiting 20 years for the chance to see her pop idol in concert. She informed me her mum had packed an extra bra, just in case the opportunity to throw one at Bon Jovi eventuated. I felt seriously out of my depth.

I have always enjoyed his music, his hit It’s My Life, released in 2000, is one of my favourite Bon Jovi songs. And I do know the words to Livin’ on a Prayer. But I’ve never adorned my bed in his image or paid hundreds of dollars for a concert ticket. But in saying that I don’t think I was alone in last night’s crowd. There were certainly quite a few die-hard fans.

But there were also fans of music in general who were out for a great show and night out. I think it’s safe to say my hubby and I fall into the second category. And for us Bon Jovi certainly delivered.

Enjoy a clip from last night’s show. Apologies for the shaky footage – I was too busy bopping along to the music.

A little bit of Christmas spirit

Yep, it's that time of year again. The calendar has flicked over from November to December and Christmas Day is 19 sleeps away (according to the cute little app on my iPhone).

I'm a big fan of Christmas. I admit to groaning when I see the Christmas stock in October, but once December has arrived I get into the spirit of family, cards, decorations and the fun of the season.

Right now I'm writing my Christmas cards and thinking of those dear to me - my family and friends. Some may be wondering why I send Christmas cards in these modern times of emails, facebook and twitter. But to me, receiving a Christmas card in the mail is a wonderful feeling. I love receiving Christmas mail. Beats the usual mail box contents of bills and flyers. Someone special has gone to the effort to purchase a card, write on it, pop it in an envelope, lick the envelope, pop a stamp on it and place it in a post box. There's a whole lot of love and commitment in those steps.

I'm more than halfway through writing my Christmas cards and so I hope my family and friends get as much joy out of receiving my cards as I do in sending them.

Am I alone in continuing the tradition of sending Christmas cards in the mail? Let me know.