My little Christmas helpers unwrapping the Hershey kisses. They only gobbled up a couple each.
We have enjoyed getting all ready for Christmas! We surely miss our family but being able to experience Christmas in New Zealand is a huge blessing. The Christmas sweaters and attire, decorations and lights may be few but being together in a new country while celebrating Jesus's birthday is simply wonderful. We've met so many amazing people and have learned about how they celebrate this blessed holiday.
Our friends, the Lomas family, are from the UK and celebrate Christmas similar to how we celebrate the holiday. They have a traditional dinner with turkey (they do chicken too b/c of the expense), yorkshire pudding, roasted vege and more. Our friendly librarian, Sabina, is used to celebrating a German holiday. Because the evenings are long, they spend alot of time together baking and doing Christmas activities inside. Christmas eve is their big holiday. Our Kiwi friends will celebrate with a casual barbecue with salmon or ham and nibbles (appetizers). Also, time on the beach is a must as well as family tramps (hikes) on Christmas or Boxing Day. Most families have Christmas trees but outdoor lights are rare. It gets dark so late because it's summer so lights don't make much of a presence.
Boxing Day is the day after Christmas and a big holiday. From about.com. "Boxing Day got its name from an old tradition when employers boxed gifts for their workers on the day after Christmas." From wikipedia.org, "In the United Kingdom, it certainly became a custom of the nineteenth-century Victorians for tradesmen to collect their "Christmas boxes" or gifts on the day after Christmas in return for good and reliable service throughout the year." It's also a big day for retailers with Boxing Day sales!
What an amazing learning experience for us all. We are so thankful we are together, have our health and are able to enjoy a warm Christmas. I still can't get over the fact that we will be in shorts and t-shirts for Christmas, just as our friends can't imagine a white Christmas. You just never know where life will take you!
Peanut blossoms
Delicious brownie with apricots, a recipe from my friend, Jude.
Coconut macaroons and chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies (hidden)
Homemade pecan tartlets - made with $55/kg pecans! :) I purchased just enough pecans to make 3 pies and 30+ tartlets, about $34 worth.
A pecan pie for the Armstrong family
No comments:
Post a Comment