Home for Christmas

I don’t really check the stats for this blog, so I never know who’s out there reading. A few people drop comments now and then—one more than most—but beyond that, it’s a mystery. Do people read it regularly? Do they just stumble across it? Who knows.

That’s why what happened today in Lismore was such a buzz. I was scooting around town on my mobility scooter when a guy stopped me and asked if I was James O’Brien. Turns out he grew up not far from me, reads the blog pretty regularly, and even said he enjoys a lot of my writing. We swapped a few stories about our backgrounds, and honestly, it made my day. So, hi Joe—thanks for saying hello.

Being back in Lismore has been fun. Friday I got invited to a Christmas party at the newly renovated Shaw’s Bay Hotel. The place was packed, but we found a quiet spot by the water, under cover, which was lucky because it rained a little. It was such a good vibe that I’ve already started planning another lunch there in a few weeks when a friend’s back in town.

From there, the night took a turn I hadn’t planned. We ended up at FLO Records in Bangalow—a vinyl store that doubles as a party spot with a DJ and dancing. I was definitely the oldest person there, but who cares? I had a dance, chatted with some folks, and loved the music. What a great find for a Friday night.

Later, I headed back into town and dropped into The Levee, my favorite local bar. Cameron runs it—he opened it after the flood, when confidence in the community was pretty low. It’s a bit more upmarket than other places around, and it draws such a mix of people. Sometimes it’s full of twenty‑somethings, other times it’s folks in their forties, fifties, and sixties. Either way, the cocktails and atmosphere are spot‑on.

Other little highlights: grabbing coffee at a local café, picking up bread rolls from the Swedish Bakery, and stopping by the Workers Club. Normally they do meat raffles on Saturday afternoons, but this week they’d moved them to Saturday night. One woman nearby was not happy about it—she vented to her friend for half an hour straight. I get that routines matter, but wow, she was really worked up.

Today I wheeled around town, checked out the notice boards, and even caught a junior cricket match at Oakes Oval. Only about thirty people watching, but it was such a nice, simple moment.

Of course, this Christmas feels different. My sister passed away a few months ago after years of poor health. I’ve been thinking about how we’ll handle traditions this year. I miss her, but I also take comfort knowing she’s no longer suffering.