Where the Turcos are, it's too hot to cook Christmas dinner

The following message from Alyson and Travis Turco in Australia is one of many special greetings that SooToday.com is publishing over the holidays from away-from-home Saultites.

If you're a former resident now living 200 or more kilometres away, SooToday.com would be delighted to post your message and photo.

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******************** Greetings to the frosty North, from the Turcos in the sunny south! My name is Alyson Turco.

My husband Travis and I, along with our children Nicholas (2-1/2 years) and Megan (7 months), are living in Australia.

A contract job through the Sault Ste. Marie engineering firm where Travis works has brought us to Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia where we have been living since mid-October.

We will be here until May when the job will wrap up. This is our first Christmas ever away from family and friends, and also away from the cold and snow of Northern Ontario.

It certainly was different being away for Christmas this year!

Of course, we missed family and friends most of all.

I think the grandparents back home in the Soo found it tough to get through the holidays without the little ones around, and we missed the spirit of the season that family and friends bring. Believe it or not, we also missed the snow!

We found it very difficult to get into the "Holiday Spirit" without the cold and snow.

Imagine writing out Christmas cards and decorating a tree with the windows open and the fans on.

We found that the snow brings a sort of "magic" to Christmas - it is peaceful (until you turn the snowblower on), and it forces us indoors to sit around a warm fire socializing with those dearest to you. Other than the lack of snow, and without the chill in the air, Christmas here is much like it is back home.

Oddly enough, the decorations depict snowmen and penguins wearing scarves and touques, even though many people here have never seen snow.

The "Shopping Center Santas" are dressed in the traditional red and white velvet outfit, complete with the big black boots, long white beard, and hat.

The trees are all artificial, but decorated just the same.

The "thing to do" on Christmas Day is go to the beach.

Unfortunately, this year the weather didn't cooperate - it was only 21 degrees Celcius!

Many people go out for dinner on Christmas day because it is usually too hot to cook.

The meal is a traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, but it is expected that the starter will be fresh seafood including prawns, smoked salmon, and oysters. We are already looking foward to next Christmas when we will be back in the Soo with all of our loved ones.

We send all of our Holiday Greetings to everyone in Sault Ste. Marie, and we wish everyone back home the best in 2005!

See you in the spring!

****************** Other 2004 holiday messages from SooToday.com readers

Sault hockey mom becomes an international TV star A holiday note from London, Ontario Brandi says hi to all the 'crazy Mounties' Someone please shovel this woman's driveway Merry Christmas from Denmark Merry Christmas from British Columbia Merry Christmas from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Christmas in Iraq Hello from the mountains of the Dominican Republic 'Memories of the Soo' guy starts a family Adam Carricato says 'Fröhliche Weihnachten' A radio guy misses the Sault Happy holidays to the Bertos and the Mackans 'Bury our bones in Sault Ste. Marie,' say Connie and Steve

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