Ambience

Ambience is defined by the Oxford Dictionary (1999) as being the character and atmosphere of a place.

In any home, the kitchen is often the place where friends and family congregate. Sure, it’s where the food and
the drink are, but kitchens are seldom just refuelling stations. Conversations, gossip humour and ideas flow
freely in the relaxed atmosphere of the kitchen. (de Lore, 2000)
This quote reminds me of christmas day in my household. Every year on christmas day, our grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles come to our home to enjoy a traditional christmas dinner. Turkey and veges for lunch, pavlova and trifle for desert, then ham and leftovers for dinner (although at this point in the day, after grazing all day on nuts, pretzels & chocolates, nobody really feels like eating). This is usually the one day out of the year that the whole family sits to eat a meal together, so it is a rather special occasion. On this day, you will find the females of the house in the kitchen, sipping on wine, tending to pots and ovens, and having a good ol' gossip. The males can usually be found in the lounge watching tele, or out in the sun, slurping beer and talking man talk. When everyone comes together at the table to eat, there is a feel of excitement in the air. Everyone cracks christmas crackers with the person sitting next to them, puts on their hat and reads out their joke that they found in their cracker (lame laughs all round). Glasses are topped up, someone says Grace, and then the feast begins. After everyone has eaten far too much, and pants are feeling too tight, we all move into the lounge to chat over coffee. It is then a relaxing afternoon until dinner rolls around, however with the amount everyone has already eaten, dinner is usually over pretty quickly.
There is always a certain feel to our house on this day. It probably feels different for everyone. But it is without doubt a feeling I look forward to each year. Having all of the family together, enjoying great food, and  giving gifts to those closest to me, never fails to make for a great day, year after year.


Pearsall, J. (1999). Concise oxford dictionary. Tenth edition. New York: Oxford University Press.