A Kiwi Kind Of Christmas

For a number of years I have wanted to do a different kind of Christmas- a couple of them actually. One somewhere with snow so I can see in a true ' White Christmas' and another somewhere warm and sunny. The latter is the one I'm getting to experience this year. Well the warm part anyway, the weather is due to be much more UK like what with the current rain continuing. I guess someone forgot to tell me that early summer in New Zealand is pretty wet!

So as far as I can tell, a Kiwi Kind of Christmas seems noticeably different to a British one and not just because of the temperature. A common occurrence here is for people to BBQ, if at the beach, even better. Many people holiday over the -sorry- holidays. The kids have by now broken up for summer and a snowman made of sand is not uncommon, though how many of these are made by locals and how many by travellers, I'm unsure. Perhaps next year I will find out first hand but this year I'm celebrating the season at my current home, Torrent Farm.

When I came to New Zealand back in January I never imagined I would be looking at not one but two Christmases here. I also never would have thought to put down roots in Rotorua yet here I am, doing just that. Yes I've been helped along to do so by my earlier accident but I still have spent 7 months here on and off since March. The unexpectedness of this year may mean I'm having a more 'normal' Christmas than a wandering traveller would but I think that just gives me a clearer look at the differences between this festive season and my previous ones.

While home in August, Christmas stuff was already appearing in shops when I left and yet here, it seemed to be mid October before shops widely carried festive goods and November before the real push began. Perhaps it's due to the lack of countless chain stores in every town but holiday shopping doesn't seem as overwhelming or as tacky as it's all become in the UK. I don't spend much time shopping but I do work in town and have run errands and had a few small things to buy myself recently. Traffic only began getting noticeably busier at the start of December and the 'mall' choc a block, the past week. Added to this Rotorua is a town with 70,000 residents and is one of the popular stops for tourists with its Geothermal activity and its rich Maori history. In other words, its not just Christmas, its summer too -no matter what the weather would have me believe- and that makes me question how much busier it would actually be without the visitors. Regardless of the whys of it, after so many years of commercial Christmas' , it makes a nice change for the holiday season to be within a season and fairly relaxing at that.

All this sounds appealing but there are drawbacks besides missing my traditional roast dinner. The Christmas parade I watched was my first in many years and inspite of the costumes and Christmassey themes, it being on a bright, hot, sunshine filled day, was very odd. Almost as odd as Halloween taking place while its light outside- I mean trick or treating in daylight? Really? The Christmas Carol concert was cancelled due to storms but again. Carol's by candlelight before it actually gets dark?

In conclusion I love that Christmas seems more about relaxing and spending time with those you care about in Kiwiland but I've yet to feel truly Christmassy and I blame this almost entirely on the long daylight hours.

Tonight is Christmas Eve so I guess we'll see how festive I feel tomorrow.

Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays this Festive season.

'Remembering the real meaning of Christmas'

A Brit In Kiwiland