19Dec2008
kiwi christmas
Posted by timezoneone
While many living in the Northern Hemisphere enjoy a white Christmas, it is something that New Zealanders don’t get to see, at least not when they are at home. After all, Christmas takes place in summer in New Zealand. But it’s still one great holiday season for all Kiwis, with some marked differences, of course.
Christmas Shopping in Summer:
Shopping malls across New Zealand start selling Christmas-themed items beginning October because Halloween isn’t a big thing. So retailers and shoppers head straight to Christmas while their counterparts in America are busy with Halloween preparations.
Summer Attire at Christmas:
Instead of thick winter jackets, snow boots, scarves and gloves as we find necessary in Chicago (-13C today), the commonly worn attire often shows a fair bit of skin. Hey, it’s summer! Kiwis don’t need to hide under layers of clothes in sweltering heat when it’s a lot easier and cooler dressed in t-shirts and board-shorts! Â Thankfully, the Mankini has yet to make an appearance on NZ beaches (at least I have yet to see one) and Speedos are generally mocked quite ruthlessly.
Cold Dishes Preferred:
The temperature can soar quite high during Christmas. In the hot weather, cold seafood, ham, chicken and salad platters are popular. So are ice cream and beers. Some families like to cook all the main meats the day before and serve a cold lunch with salads on Christmas Day. To prevent building up heat in the house, many families also prefer to cook outside, especially using a good Kiwi barbecue to grill beef and lamb. And who can forget the good ole meat pie!
Fun in the Sun:
There won’t be anyone throwing snowballs or building snowmen. There will, however, be visits the family beach house (bach), surfing, barbecues and beer!
Christmas certainly has a different flavor in New Zealand. But it’s still Christmas – there are family gatherings, exchanges of gifts and Christmas parades. And Santa will definitely be out and about, although he does sometimes have to sweat it out a bit under the thick red costume! However, he has been known to don a black singlet, a pair of stubbies (shorts) and gumboots when he heads down under!
Hamish the Blogizadpha
