The stockings were hung, and the tree was adorned; but the sniffling meant testing for COVID was warned.

The cue tip was nestled all snug up the nose, with visions of brain tickling and virus exposed. And mama in distress and Dad's fingers crossed, two lines appeared and all plans were quashed.

...

Thus was the story of Christmas 2022 for many families across Australia. As a nation, we recorded more than 100,000 new COVID cases this week, with experts believing the true number of cases is actually much higher than this. On Christmas Eve, there were 2242 new cases reported. My mum was one of them.

We are lucky that her symptoms are mild and she is eligible for the antiviral treatments, but unfortunately, the antivirals don't protect us from the heartache of missing out on Christmas as a family.

With Dad being immuno-compromised, for almost three years, Mum has been vigilant. She is fully vaccinated and wears a mask everywhere she goes, and her vigilance has protected her throughout the pandemic, up until now. She has separated herself from Dad at home to continue to try and protect him.

For Mum, there was never a moment's temptation to "pretend" she was fine and go about her Christmas plans, despite it being her favourite day of the year. One of my favourite things about my Mum is her integrity, and I think this year, this was a huge part of her gift to us as a family. She tested on Christmas Eve because she had a tickle in her throat and she "just wanted to be safe". When she tested positive, it never entered her mind to ignore it and presume it was a false positive because her symptoms were only mild. Her first thought was to protect Dad, and then to protect us. She is wearing a mask and latex gloves at home and doing everything she can to prevent the spread. I wish there were more people like Mum in the world.

So, I baked her my apple berry tarts and left them at their front door, and then the kids and I stood in their driveway and serenaded her (terribly) with Christmas carols while she sang along the best she could on the balcony: a moment of Christmas hilarity in an otherwise bleak "festive" season.

MORE WUNDENBERG:

Psychologists have spent the last couple of years advising us on how to manage COVID-isolation blues. We have been told to video-call friends and family, to remember that we are important too, and that self-care is vital while we are feeling poorly, in addition to ensuring we are doing the best we can for our physical health. Isolation will end, and we will have a second Christmas celebration.

For many of us, Christmas is about family, not religion. In fact, a recent study (albeit based in the US) found that 81 per cent of non-Christians celebrate Christmas. Its ties to Christianity - while still the basis of the holiday of course - don't seem to be the only foundation in the 21st century. The cynic in me says that it's really become a holiday for capitalism, but in truth, for me at least, it's about spending time with people you love, and eating a special meal together. In our family, we all cook a different part of the meal, so it really is a coming together at the dinner table. Perhaps this is why it's so hard to find ourselves forced apart at Christmas. There was a notable hole in our Christmas that was the exact size of Mum and Dad. And not just because I realised half an hour before dinner that Dad always brought the wine and without him, we were stuck with flat Moscato in orange juice!

But, despite COVID sneaking in under our tree, the stockings were filled to our children's glee. And the day was still filled with love and with toys, as we cooked and we baked and reshaped Christmas joys.

...

Santa still ate his cookies while whistling dixie, and left in his sleigh only a little bit tipsy! And I heard him exclaim, ere he weaved up and up, Happy Christmas to all! And COVID get f---ed!!