A Thoughtful Christmas in New Zealand – South Island

I know you are cold. I know you probably have snow.  I love snow.  We love snow.  I tell you it seems that most of the Christmas songs are about cold weather and snow.  Here in the Southern Hemisphere it would be quite weird and probably a bit scary if we had snow on Christmas.

So, instead of snowball fights we will need to make do with water fights.

Some sadness when I was watching old friends greeting each other and thinking of my old friends on the other side of the world.  Especially sad thinking about our son and daughter–in-law on the other side of the world.  At least they are with my sisters and brother and mother.  That is right, I rather miss them too.  I miss them all, I miss you all.

Talking with some people that don’t celebrate Christmas.  Makes me think about it.  Do I think Christmas is a good holiday? Is it about Coca-cola?  Is it about a good man that used to give gifts to orphans?  Is there a bishop in there somewhere?  Is it simply a materialistic buying frenzy to keep our struggling economies afloat?  Is it about Winter Solstice?  The shortest day of the year?  The hope that the days will get longer.  That the sun will return.  I remember the first time my son saw a sunset.  He cried, yes he really cried.  He thought the sun had gone forever.  He thought it would never come back.  He thought we were doomed to live in darkness. I wonder if that was why there was the great celebration on the shortest day of the year? I wonder if they believed that their celebration, with all its hope, was responsible for bringing back the sun.  Actually, seems like it might be quite an appropriate day for the Christians to have their celebration of hope right alongside.  Hmmmmm. Am I going too far with this?

In our family, we try not to get carried away with the Christmas materialism.  We haven’t the money or the space to waste.  But we do love to give gifts.  We love to receive them.  We love to make those we love happy.  Hard to avoid all the rubbish advertising likes to throw at us though, eh?  In our family most of our gifts are hand crafted gifts of the heart.  What fun.  Another thing I think about is – what other holiday do you get the joy of giving and receiving gifts at the same time?  Where the attention is not on one but on all. Lovely, isn’t it?

Weeks before Christmas Gwennie and I were sewing, Tamara was painting and Andrew was brewing down in Waipara while Lizzy was cooking and Abi was discovering in Wellington.

Days before Christmas the family gathered.  The Fish were caught and smoked, more cooking, foraging and sewing.  Friends came around.

So what did “Santa” leave you for Christmas.  I bet it was nothing like what he left us.  Andrew and I awoke to do our quick organization duty on Christmas morning. The kids try to pretend they are still sleeping so we can feel not quite so bad about sleeping in again. We noticed a special gift left by some stranger – no doubt a stranger that wears a warm red coat and hat .  It was 5 dead bunnies waiting for our Christmas Dinner.  OK, I know a bit strange but what did you expect – a new lounge suite?

Andrew had loads of fun delivering his Christmas Stout that he described as “Christmas in a bottle” and the Kahawai he and Abi caught, I cleaned and he smoked on the roof of our truck.

During the next two days the following gifts were also delivered to our truck – hand crocheted Christmas stars, bbq meat, bags of vegetables and fruit, a box full of bread, another box of juice, shrimp curry, homemade tomato sauce, fig truffles, mushroom fritters, homemade stuffing, homemade quince cordial, photos, bottles of wine and home-brew beer.  Uuuuuh yeah!!!!  Can you believe it.  Of course, I am sure you know what the best gift of all is……

FRIENDSHIP

Even though we are strangers in a foreign land here (Yes, Andrew is a New Zealander but we are on the SOUTH Island and he is from the NORTH Island.  Obviously, A HUGE difference)…Sorry to break that lovely train o thought…. where was I …. Oh, yeah….FRIENDSHIP… What a great gift!!  I am sure that you must know by now that our greatest joy of travel is the amazing people we get to meet as we travel.  Every one unique and beautiful in their own way.  Each one sowing gifts in our hearts. Gifts of joy and beauty, hope and justice, wonder and celebration.  We get the honour of calling way more than our fair share ‘friend’.    Thank you for accepting and loving us as we are with all of our strange habits.

Thank you old friends for staying by our side in Spirit so many years.

Thank you new friends for the opportunity to see new beauty in the world through you and your lives.

We are rich beyond measure because of you.