HeatherGirl

Hi everyone

Well I'm not going to be popular with everyone, bringing this up but that time of year is fast approaching and I am SERIOUSLY in denial.

So, it's my first Christmas in the southern hemisphere and I just cannot get my head round it! I should be walking the kids to school in the dark with my parka and a greet on my face and instead I'm lapping up the sunshine!

So the request is - how do I get myself in the festive mood? And suggestions for Xmas day dinner... a sweaty struggle with a turkey in the kitchen (previously the job of my lovely mum) or throw a couple of snags on the barbie and let "him in doors" do the rest???

(Is snags the right word? Or have I made that up)

HeatherGirl

Catchafire

Yup Xmas is hard to get your head around! The first couple of years we tried the old way, roast turkey and all the trimmings, tree, decorations round the house. Meantime it's like 30 degress outside and we are all wearing shorts. It does not work and made us feel really homesick.

Now we do it kiwi style, BBQ, tree for the kids but we do not make a big deal of it. I BBQ a shoulder of pork, I got a weber so it takes about 3 hours. The kids are happy in the paddling pool and after they have gone to bed, it's a outdoor bath and bottle of bubbly with the OH.

If there is no winter, then there is no point in having a "White Christmas".

"Snags"????

love30stm

Christmas is not the same here, we also did turkey, christmas music the first couple of years , watch Christmas movies, its very weird and that Christmas feeling is lost now, I'm glad my kids experienced English Xmas when they were small, they are teenagers now!

Anyhow last year we had smoked salmon for breakfast with Buck's Fizz on the deck, Christmas dinner was glazed ham and pavlova for dessert, I'm not doing turkey again still watched Xmas movies and put my tree up Boxing Day we went to the beach

But I found its lovely after Boxing Day we have the summer still hopefully used to hate the long dreary winter in the uk after New Year's Eve

Justcol

this'll be my 5th Xmas here and it still freaks me out.
I've tried doing a BBQ, doing the beach and have done full Xmas dinner.
None feel right

HeatherGirl

Mmmm - thanks, sounds like I should not dwell on the old and embrace the new. I guess it's finding new ways of making it special.

And I must remember, that in reality, at least where I was in the UK , apart from 2 years ago, we very rarely had a lovely snowy white Christmas. Usually it was either grey slush or glass hard icy pavement that you couldn't even get out a good walk on!

Not sure how I'll feel on the day but I'll give it 100% to make it special for the kids.

sirplug

We normally do Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas day on the beach, with friends and a BBQ......complete with Santa hats!

Bo-Jangles

We've tried every which way and come full circle back to turkey (if we can afford it). Like Col whatever we've done it never seems like Christmas anyway and it's never been exactly 30c and tropical

We only did the typical first year expat at the beach photo session to bore our friends and family with.

Weather is unpredictable at best, so past two years I have cooked a small turkey and been prepared to either have cold with salads and new potatoes or roast dinner. The roast dinner won!

I have made a Christmas pudding this year.

crumpy10

It will be our first Xmas here too, we didn't look forward to damp miserable cold, stuck inside cause is raining.... Again Christmases....

So this time we are really going to enjoy it being in the summer! Not bothered what we eat or do, so long as we can get out and enjoy ourselves! And get some sunshine! (Hopefully)

Anna

TommyLuck

I've got a Kiwi mate here in London who called them snags - dunno if him being a Maori has anything to do with referring to a sausage as a snag?

I just drooled EVERYWHERE.

lardyl

Tis true, no matter how you roast it, carve it and serve it, Christmas in the summer heat is not the same if you've spent most of your life in the northern hemisphere.

Last few years we got invites to Kiwi friends for christmas lunch, involving pavlova, ham, beetroot, salads, chocolate fountains, etc A chocolate log from Delia always went down well with the locals. Then down to the beach to sleep it off in the afternoon. We've been lucky with the weather those two years, although it all went to custard after that last year

Not sure what to do this year with those invites unlikely, although a good friend has moved in down the road on the beach front so you never know.

TommyLuck

I've always enjoyed my christmases and NZ (3 times) and Australia (once).

My old man dreams of christmas in the sun, he's really looking forward to coming/going over to NZ for it at some point. Though I have warned him that the sun can't actually be guaranteed.

Whilst I enjoy christmas, I'm not much of a traditionalist so I don't expect to be pining for a White Christmas. We'll see ...

And, being a Cricket fan, not watching a Boxing Day Test in the middle of the night, half cut, freezing cold will be a treat.

Of course I'll still be half cut

pixi-dust

Ah Christmas in New Zealand. This is our 8th and tbh since we arrived here I've never actually felt like I've had Christmas. Christmas to me is at my parents house, opening pressies in the morning, stuffing our faces all day, weather is cold and miserable or if we're really lucky, it's snowing. I loved every second of it.

Here, every year, I've put up our tree while sweating in around 100% humidity ( way up in Northland) It's light till after 9pm ( in Scotland it was dark at 3!!)
We have had lovely days, with lots of friends and lovely food and wee secret santas, but it's just felt like a nice party, rather than Christmas.

We usually have some cray fish on the barby , a ham, and lots of other bits and bobs.

I've always said, if it was possible to fly back for one day, Christmas Day would be my day.

HeatherGirl

And then there are all the Santa related questions from my daughters:

Is it the same Santa?
How does his sleigh work without snow?
Does he wear shorts??

Obviously all crucial questions to six year olds!

theghostofdustybin

I maintain a the age old tradition of being mostly drunk..

MOSO

Heather

My kids were confused the first year too, fortunately the excitement of seeing their Dad after 3 months apart on Christmas Eve was the main focus!

We also do ham etc. at lunchtime - beach in the afternoon and bbq in the evening.

There are plenty of kiwi kids' books about Christmas (Santa's Kiwi Holiday is one mine have) and they will come home from school singing Christmas songs you will have never heard before! Also get them to follow noradsanta.org and they will be able to track Santa as he goes around the world