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Published: January 15th 2009
Keeping Traditions alive!
Gingerbread House making...This was a very different December for the Shivers Family. I am such a Christmas junkie that it was very hard for me to not have all the traditional Christmas Spirit that I am usually accustomed to at this time of year. I felt like we went through the motions of trying to make it like the Christmases we know, but somehow it just didn't feel the same. So, we tried to embrass the fact that we were in the Southern Hemisphere and that this would be our only New Zealand Christmas and enjoy the differences. I tried very hard to find a Kiwi tradition that we could adapt, but what I realized is Christmas here is mostly and adaptation of Christmases in the UK and US. Santa is even shown as arriving and travelling in the snow, which of course, would never happen in New Zealand in December.
The pictures pretty much tell the story of our December activities. Like in years past, it was crazy - fewer work obligations and fewer Christmas parties to attend, but I did host 3 dinner parties and a 16th Birthday/Going Away party bash for Syd and 35 teenagers!
You can see
from the photos that, like in VA, every small town has a Christmas parade. We missed the Timaru parade as it was the first weekend in Dec and we were tramping. We did hit the parades in Geraldine and Pleasant Point. And, they were pretty much like floats we would see at home. I think they throw more lollies (candy) here though.
Avery, my only Santa believer, wanted to do all the things we did at home and keep our traditions alive. We weren't making Gingerbread Houses to give as gifts this year, but we did make it from scratch, so the kids had a blast eating it! Christmas Sugar Cookies for Santa were a must! It was a new experience for the boys friend, Tyler. And, I had to have our Christmas Eve traditional Cheese Fondue. This was a good night to invite our vegetarian friends, and the ones whose house we would be moving into the following week, over for a goodbye dinner. They headed off to the Cook Islands for a year and we moved into their house...more on that in the next blog.
December also meant the end of the school year. Syd's events
New Zealand Christmas Parades
Geraldine Parade - Patchwork Car happened in Nov and she was done with school by Dec. The boys had to go until the 17th - ugh, that was painful. Graham was finishing up at Highfield and will go to Timaru Boy's High School in Feb. There were several events to conclude the end of the year... a dress up goodbye dinner, called "The Leavers Dinner" for all year 8 students. And there was the all school "prizegiving" known to us as awards night and graduation.
Sydney saw an ad for auditions for "New Zealand's Next Top Model" and made it past the first round of auditions... we will keep you posted as we should hear more in late January.
Sydney also had her 16th birthday on Dec 22nd. She and her two best exchange student friends - Katie and Juliette - planned a Backyard BBQ Bash hosted by us on Dec 21st. This was our first go at teenage parties and although many tried to scare us with horrible drinking and late night party stories, the party was quite tame and the kids well behaved! And Sydney, Katie and Juliette had a blast!
Gregg sang with the Timaru Chorus in early Dec.
It was a great show, but mainly music written by a Kiwi composer and not the well known traditional stuff that we know and love.
Kiwis also love their fancy dress parties. We had our first opportunity to do it up for a 40th Birthday party of one of Gregg's co-workers on Dec 20th. The picture says it all. And the South Canterbury Drama League has a wonderful costume shop where you can hire costumes very reasonably!
I didn't send Christmas cards this year. It is the first time in 20 years that I have not done so. As I begin to receive forewarded Christmas cards from home, I keep thinking that I might send Valentine's Day cards this year, or maybe even Easter... who knows, but we do hope that all of you had a Happy and Safe Holiday Season and are enjoying the beginning of 2009!
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soren jespersen
non-member comment
cool with a k (kooooool)
kool man, i guess its pretty weird having christmas in summer weather, atleast its cold here, no snow, but cold.