Christmas thoughts

Sydney is very transient city, despite being at the end of the line, as it were. So many people come here for work, or simply to experience the great Australian lifestyle, at the same time as having every city amenity on one's doorstep. There aren't many cities where you can be on the beach one minute, splashing about in turquoise blue Mediterranean waters, and twenty minutes later be rubbing shoulders with crowds in places like Chinatown or Oxford Street. 

You would expect a city that is so transient to be well-equipped for expats, but unlike the Asian cities of Singapore or Hong Kong, which are geared towards an expatriate lifestyle and have ready-made communities to join, Sydney is has such a wide diaspora of people it is far harder to make like-minded friends and Australians can be quite insular in sticking to their own.

Christmas, on the other hand, appears to be the same the world over. Throngs of people wending their way through shopping malls wearily buying in to today's consumerist religion. It has been said a thousand times before, but it is so easy to lose sight of Christmas and the religious aspect that it represents, when faced with unashamed commercialism. However, even for those who have a secular outlook on the festivities, the key is to remain true to traditions and above all to celebrate family, friends and, ultimately I suppose, love. Happy Christmas.