Re: Christmas
 

I need help on this one too please

somehow without being slightly dead, I dont think i have a cat in hells chance of escaping it, as it is hubbys first xmas in NZ in 18 yrs

at least I get to escape to melbourne on boxing day for a week to go see my sister and her family

Re: Christmas
 

not quite another Christmas - a Mid Winter celebration when the weather is better suited to roast turkey and all the trimmings!

Re: Christmas
 

That is genius!!! Must book us a skiing holiday on the South Island to coincide if possible - after I've worked 40 years to be entitled to a 1 week holiday!! :rolleyes:

Re: Christmas
 

I'm still surprised that more kiwis haven't moved away from the traditional European image - quite bizarre that robins - that don't exist here, well not the european variety, the kiwi native robin is brown all over - snow, which much of the country rarely encounters, etc. are still used as Christmas images.

Flax bushes produce long flower stems from about this time of year - very "kiwi" shape and I have meant for several Christmases, to experiment using them instead of a Christmas tree.

Re: Christmas
 

ooohhh Christmas, my favourite thing!
It does take a bit of getting used to, my first wasn't so good because we didn't know anyone and I felt a bit hollow all day. We went to the beach and took some pressies to open, had a swim etc and did the whole 'well this is the life' thing but really I wanted to be in a place where people might be popping in to say 'hello merry Christmas and I knew 100% that this wasn't going to happen.

Now we have been here 4 years though its different. I love walking around shopping in flip flops with sand between my toes in the baking sun listening to Winter Wonderland or White Christmas being played in the shops. Last year we were in the Viaduct when santa arrived in a boat, all lit up with music playing.

My sons birthday is 24th June and for his 16th we took him to sky tower restaurant, imagine his face as we walked in to find it decorated and Cliff Richard belting out Mistletoe and Wine!

Re: Christmas
 

Sounds like the North Island is a lot warmer on Xmas day than the South, I think we may have had the fire lit last xmas to take the chill off and the year before that it rained!

Re: Christmas
 

I didn't know that! I'm sure I've seen robins here but maybe not.
Now you've got me missing robins :(

Re: Christmas
 

I haven't laughed like this since God knows when!! That is soooo funny! Bloody Cliff gets everywhere!! How cold in your Winter does it get on the North Island?

I have no concerns about missing people popping in - we have no-one here anyway!!

Funny, now we've announced this will be our last Christmas in the UK family are all making the effort to come to us! Nooooo - go away ... I liked it better when it was just us and we chose whether we bothered to visit. 100% of the time, we chose not to!!

Re: Christmas
 

This winter was the coldest in the 4 we have had here. I even saw a patch of frost one morning and me and Laura asked hubs to stop the car so we could get out and walk in it, but he wasn't playing. It doesn't get below 0 in this part of Auckland, and the days can still be warm in June.

When my parents moved back to Cornwall, we went for Christmas and it snowed on Boxing day! It didn't last long but was quite magical.

This Christmas we will be in australia as my best mate, who is also my sister in law, will be there on holiday with her hubby and their two kids. I am so excited. We get there on Christmas eve, they will have been there a week by then, she is getting the food in for bbq, we will bring the booze from the duty free. Sorted!

Re: Christmas
 

Was definately much colder this winter than last. We had coffee mornings last winter and sat outside in the sun.... this year no chance. I'm still waiting for it to get warmer now... I love the warm weather.

Re: Christmas
 

See, that sounds very appealing now I've got my head round the difference!!

Were your parent in Cornwall last year for November 25th and the snow? Took me 9 hours to do a round trip of 10 miles?! hubby got stuck overnite at work. Eldest got stuck having to stay with a friend after school. I missed flight to Dublin the next day as couldn't get out of my drive!! No compensation as they'd cleared the runways in Newquay and therefore as far as they were concerned flights were on!!

Re: Christmas
 

Batty, I wish you all the luck in the world, can you say you've been invited to friends this year and maybe go to hers on Boxing Day!! Maybe arrange to go away and say the flight leaves on Xmas eve.

:D I've been thinking on the same lines :p but honestly I don't think I have any hope :eek:

My MIL is driving me up the wall at the moment to the point where I want to tell her to F*@% off and get out of my face but with having 3 sons who stick up for their mother you can't say a bad thing to her or about her :p

I was talking to my Mum about xmas yesterday and told her that this year I'm staying at home and wasn't going anywhere so no doubt I'll have family here including the Duchess herself.

Re: Christmas
 

Oh dear, I'm quite glad mine is safely tucked away in UK and cant fly :D
She's fine actually, even if she still (after 4 years) cant get the time difference right and calls us at 5am for a chat :rolleyes:

Re: Christmas
 

we fly to Oz on boxing day to see mys sister...were in Oz you going jude?

couldnt escape christmas at mother in laws as hubby not been here for 18 yrs so wanted xmas there...i absolutley refused to do xmas at ours this year, saying that we go away boxing day, so will probably have to do next years....NO save me please

Re: Christmas
 

we are going to Gold Coast, sis-in -law has rented an appartment for 4 weeks there, we wont be staying with them but have booked a hotel which we are hoping is a short walk away from them. We can only stay 9 days but will the longest time we have had off work together since the 9 months we took when we first moved here 4 years ago!
My oldest isn't coming, he is away with mates on Boxing day, we leave on Christmas eve so he wont be with us for chrimbo, which is a shame. Not the first one though, when he was 16 he spent christmas with his then gf's grandparents in New Plymouth. I missed him so much, and whilst he was away I had Lola. I couldn't ring to tell him as he was then trekking in the mountains somewhere with his mates, but I was desperate for him to get home. He arrived back one night, I heard a car stop and him walk down the drive. I had the baby on my lap, she was 2 or 3 days old. He walked in our room and his words were 'oh, you had the kid' :D in a pleased and suprised tone...if you see what I mean!

You are going to Melbourne aren't you?