Although the
stores were busy, and I was aware of the hustle bustle, it also felt like a
typical Saturday afternoon at almost any US mall or big box store. The
consumerism here is just less than in the states. And with fifteen
hours of daylight and the Kiwis preparing for summer vacations, barbecues and
the beach, the feeling of Christmas didn’t quite fit. I understand that
Christmas is Christmas regardless of our circumstances but I still felt a bit
off balance this year.
However, none of that mattered when Carolyn and Jeff arrived on December 19th and Rachel and Elizabeth arrived on December 22nd. It still didn’t “feel” quite like Christmas, but our non-traditional Christmas was one of family and love. And we couldn’t have been happier.
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| Christmas Eve hike on Sledge Track |
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| Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Epiphany all in one |
We had a
live Christmas tree, and the decorations arrived on Epiphany-perfect! The other
decorations are things I have picked up through our New Zealand travels and some
berries from our yard. And Kiwi crackers-how could I resist!
It was a great Christmas! I wish we were still there! Christmas without the consumerism is just fine with me :)
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