Merry Christmas to One and All.

We hope you had a good one.

Steve & Lynn

Merry Xmas Steve

Best wishes for 2015 including you getting a job down under

Thanks. The same to you and your family too.

All the best for 2015.

However, it's Christmas night in Britain why are you still sober ?

It's Boxing Day here in NZ. We will be going out for a picnic. We've got all the yummy Christmas left overs.

It's sunny and will be 23 degrees centigrade today. It's probably about 21 degrees centigrade presently and my husband has just hung the washing on the line !

(About the same temperature as Britain in July or August.)

Oh, and, regarding the job I applied for at our local council offices. They phoned me on 23rd December and asked if I'd like to come in for an interview on January 8th !

We've had an unheard of, unseasonably warm Christmas Day here and reached positive four degrees! It's normally -2 to -18.
Do you ever adjust to Christmas being in Summer? I was also pondering today that most people round me use Christmas to celebrate turning the corner of the deepest part of winter. With NZ Christmas being in summer do you have an event or celebration to mark the turning of winter towards Spring?

No, none whatsoever. The shortest day in NZ has no meaning, it's just another day, so is the equivalent Christmas day 3 days later. There's midwinter Christmas for the handful of funny expats who choose to observe it in their own homes with reserved crackers and a few Christmas decorations if they choose to. I know I do. The Christmas menu is easier to buy in winter for obvious reasons. Well, for those that do it traditionally anyway.

Other than that it's just the heartsink that with Summer and Christmas behind us, there's winter coming in a few months. The back to school advertising in January is another little culture shock as the new academic year starts in January for all schools. At least in the post new year gloom in Britain there's the knowledge that spring and summer is coming.

Easter in the autumn ? Yeah, that happens in NZ too.

Easter and harvest festivals seem to happen around the same time in NZ. Which stands to reason but hey. No daffodils in March/April in NZ. I saw my first daffodils and spring lambs in August here in NZ.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Happy Boxing Day for us.
Had a full day on the beach at Mount Maunganui today with the little boy. Really busy as the place is gearing up for the New Year celebrations. Was around 25 degrees but a bit cloudy although fine.
I can't get used to christmas in the warm. Don't think I ever will. Just doesn't feel the same and there is no lead up to it like in Britain....but that said I wouldn't go back for it.
Many people here have a second christmas celebration in mid winter around mid July since they may have snow depending where they are. I also think the ski resorts do something to mark that occasion also but I'm not sure.
Since I'm now in the winterless north I doub't we'll be trying the mid July christmas.
All the best.

We celebrated mid winters day this year, it wasn't cold, but it was colder than Christmas, it gave us and friends the opportunity to cook the full turkey dinner without sweltering in the heat, put on the fire also wear the Xmas jumpers etc, so this would also signify the turn towards spring, and two Christmases a year can't be bad ))

We went with the BBQ in the garden cold beer and trimmings so, so much better than sitting indoors watching the rain running down the windows and dark at 15:30......

Merry Christmas everyone.

Weather has been unpredictable (i.e. crap), but has settled under a big high pressure for christmas and the last few days. All very unusual. I think a lot of people worked right up to Xmas Day, but am in full-on holiday mode now. Supposed to be going off camping today.. we'll see!

All good.

looked like all of auckland was off for their holidays yesterday.

Yeah, we put it off and are going tomorrow. We'll just stay an extra day on the other end instead. Got a lot of the wood-fired oven done today before a waddle down to the beach. Drinking some of that nice chocolate milk now.

Thanks for the reply.
I hope your job interview goes well.

Steve

Thanks Parnell,
Best wishes for 2015 to you too.

Steve