Couple Joanne and John’s Christmas celebrations take place in Greece – for practical reasons. You see, the couple met and live in Greece, even though Joanne hails from Britain and John is originally from Australia. But, for stylistic and emotional reasons, it is a British-style Christmas that has prevailed for the couple and their family.
Of Christmas with hubby John, Joanne recalls: “A few months after I met John in 2015, we went to the Christmas carols at an Anglican Church here in Athens, and I was so happy that I had found a big, handsome man who spoke English, singing carols with me – I think I cried!”
The couple have spent a few Christmas’ together outside of Greece, such as in Egypt, Rome, and the United Kingdom. Joanne claims John didn’t have a very good time in the UK as it included a lot of driving in cold and wet weather.
To date, there have been no Christmas celebrations in Australia, even though John is from Sydney and took Joanne there in 2019.
“I loved every second of it…” she says. “We did touristy things like the Opera House and a wildlife reserve.”
Joanne recalls spotting a kangaroo touching his ear with his paw, and thinking “he’s waving at me!”. As for other wildlife, Joanne admits to just dipping her toes in Bondi Beach, as shark tales got the better of her.
“I decided to leave the swimming for Greece,” she says.
Though the couple love their many travels, they prefer to spend Christmas at home in Greece with family: Joanne and John have children – now adults – from their first marriages.
Upon asking Joanne if Greek Christmas is similar to a British Christmas, she adamantly responds, “Oh my God, no! I don’t even know what they do here. The most they can do is a Christmas tree and decorations. Decades ago… there was nothing happening except a few decorated ships. They try more now because it’s become European, let’s say. I like Easter for the Greeks and Christmas for the Brits.”
Joanne relates that her first Christmas in Greece was in 1989 “when I first came to Greece with my Greek boyfriend who I met in England and we had Christmas at his yiayia’s house. It was awful. There was a tiny Christmas tree in the room, and we ate bifteki (minced meat rissoles) with potatoes.”
From the very next year, Joanne was determined to celebrate Christmas in Greece the British way, “cooking the turkey and all the trimmings, even Christmas pudding.”
She adds that her Christmas in Greece “really took off” when her two children were born in 1995 and 1998.
“I did everything I did when I was a kid,” she explains, whilst stressing that there were some variations such as putting out a carrot and kourabie (traditional Greek biscuit) for Santa on the balcony door of their apartment due to the lack of a chimney.
Since John and his three adult children have been part of Joanne’s life, as well as her two, the family try to celebrate Christmas’ together as much as possible.
Joanne met John at her birthday party celebrations in Athens in October of 2015. She says, “I thought he was cute with a little boy’s face… it felt like fate. We dated and got on so well. There was the connection of the English and Australian, same language, the cultures aren’t that different. From that night we have never been apart.”
A few months after their initial “love at first sight” meeting, Joanne invited John to her home in Athens, to celebrate her British Christmas.
“He loved it, he made mulled wine and we all got a bit tiddly. We had the Christmas crackers and hats and I guess for him, it was a nice memory of what he used to do in Australia. He’s a great cook and helped with the cooking too, even though my son is a chef, so I had a lot of help!” she explains.
Joanne gives a preview of this year’s Christmas plans.
“It’ll be at John’s and my house. My son will make pumpkin soup for a starter, then we’ll have turkey with bacon and sausages – pigs in blankets, with roast potatoes, broccoli (instead of brussel sprouts), carrots, and then I make the traditional gravy and stuffing,” she says.
“For Christmas morning, John and I will have a special breakfast, perhaps salmon and avocado, then we’ll start preparing for lunch. I’ll even dress up my dog Snoopy for the occasion too, like our last dog Diego.
“The kids will arrive around 12.30pm all dressed beautifully – the girls in red themed dresses. My son’s fiancé Irina, who’s from Bulgaria, was actually moved to tears at one of her first Christmas’ with us, as she thought it was only a make-believe Hollywood thing!
“We’ll have a glass of wine, with Christmas music in the background, and exchange gifts. Then we’ll all help with the dinner and sit at the immaculately decorated table, that I may have prepared from the night before. We’ll eat and have lots of wine. We’ll take photos, pull the crackers, read the jokes. We don’t do pudding; they don’t like it, so usually my kids will bring sweets like forest gateau or cheesecake.
“After eating we’ll play charades and board games. Maybe a Christmas film later, coffee, cake and kourabiedes, or melomakarona – which an English friend used to call Melina Merkouris!
“Around Christmas time we also include a walk to see the tree at Syntagma square, and go for a coffee and meet friends. We really enjoy our Christmas’ as a time to be with family… it’s less stressful here than in the UK; more low key.”
And for us who are perhaps preparing for our Merry Season celebrations, Joanne’s advice is: “Keep it relaxed, don’t go crazy and… tell everyone you love them.”
