A New Zealand Christmas

Christmas in New Zealand was exciting as usual but was very different and flew by way too quickly.

Our branch Christmas party was…well…different. We were treated by electric guitar renditions of Christmas tunes in the chapel (all purpose room where we ate dinner) courtesy of our branch president (actually really well done) and a few other instrument solos, as is typical for any ward function. We had a potluck-style dinner which included Indian curry dishes, roasted chicken, a big salad from our garden, and many other random dishes. Desserts included many typical US and traditional NZ desserts. After the hodge-podge of a meal we headed out in the parking lot for a Piñata for the kids. Like I said, different. Quite different, in fact, from the huge Night in Bethlehem our ward in Grand Junction put on (much less effort of course), but nonetheless fun.

Christmas Eve was…well…different. We gardened most of the day and in the evening ate a delicious meal: pineapple-glazed ham, steamed carrots, mashed potatoes/gravy, and salad. Afterwards we watched Polar Express and Noah fell asleep early. Ethan made a plate full of food for Santa and his reindeer and Jonathan helped him write a note for him. Watching our own kids get excited for Christmas reminds us of the magic it held for us as well (I was reluctantly playing along this year, wanting to focus solely on Christ’s birth, but I caved). Jonathan and I, of course, stayed up for last minute preparations and went to bed too late.

Christmas morning was….well…different. Our alarm clock (Isaac) went off at around 7 and we began making a fire and breakfast. With much excitement the kids awoke and could not stay focused as they ate (I don’t blame them!). They were thrilled by all of the generous gifts given them by Santa (only 1 present) and by other people in the community. They were bubbling over with excitement, which made mommy and daddy happy as well. Having children is very fulfilling. We have truly been blessed by these 3 sweet little boys in our lives. It was a little rushed though, since we had to make it out of the door by 9:15 am for church. When we returned we spent the day relaxing, picking raspberries, and playing with water guns (it was quite warm that day). All in all it was a very pleasant Christmas…different…but pleasant.



Our raspberries are oh so delicious!!!!