Christmas in New Zealand

One of the biggest things I've had to adjust to since moving to NZ permanently is how I celebrate Christmas. I'm originally from Illinois where Christmas is usually quite cold and the weather is quite unpleasant. *This does not include the last couple of years where it has been unseasonably warm*

The southern hemisphere, as we learn in school, has opposite seasons to the Continental USA. So Christmas now falls smack-dab in the middle of summer.

GIF via: Friends

So here in New Zealand, people have BBQs on Christmas, go to the beach with the family to open up presents and generally do not eat a heavy meal of turkey and all the fixings. There are no all-day sit-downs of football on TV, no 25 Days of Christmas specials on TV and no carolers coming to your door. There is certainly no snow (although there is still some visible up on the mountains...so I guess if I really need a white Christmas, we could go hiking and find some).

So how do I reconcile myself to a probable lifetime of Christmases in the summer? (Don't even get me started on how my birthday is suddenly in the dead of winter now) I make new memories and new traditions with my soon-to-be husband.

On Christmas Eve, after returning home from the FMIL's house, we curled up in bed and watched "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

image via: 1amgeek

We opened our presents to each other on Christmas Eve so we could have a nice sleep-in the next day. We have no kids yet, so we take advantage of every day we get to sleep in late.

This year Jeff made me part of my present (poor guy didn't have enough time to finish it yet!) and wrapped it up for me. A few months ago we went to Golden Bay to meet with a jeweler about our wedding bands and found something similar to this in a shop:

image via: Eastwind Gifts

I fell in love, but the price was just too much. So Jeff decided to make it for me. He finished the cutting board and just has to make the trolley part now. How amazing is that?

Personal photo

We're really big on homemade gifts especially because we're creative and frugal with our money. I put together a photo album of our first year together for Jeff, complete with captions. I was able to get the album half-off with a gift card we were given for our engagement. It's so nice to have something tangible to look through and see what we've accomplished together so far. I've obviously veered off-topic now, so let's course correct for a minute here.

Christmas in New Zealand.

image via: The Royce

Part of joining someone in marriage is blending the two upbringings together and when it comes to holidays it becomes really clear just how different we are. I like to think I am bringing some of the childlike wonder of the holiday to our relationship while embracing the relaxed attitude Kiwis bring to the Christmas holiday. We put up the Christmas tree at the end of November, start playing Christmas music then and light the advent candles as we look forward to celebrating the birthday of Jesus. These are the things I bring to our new family and are traditions I can't wait to share with our children someday. A new tradition for me is Boxing Day and how Jeff and I have chosen to celebrate the day after Christmas with a picnic by the river and a swim if it's hot enough. One of the most important parts of blending a family for the holidays is taking time to talk it out: what is important to you? What do you want to celebrate?

Someday I would love to show Jeff an American Christmas in the USA, but for now, he'll have to deal with me singing "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" at the top of my lungs as I make jam in my really hot kitchen. :)

personal photo

What did you and your fiance/ee have to compromise on when it came to the holidays? Were you able to find a good way of combining your traditions? What new traditions have you picked up?