Kiwi Christmas Rules
I am breaking up my usual covid commentary to bring you my tongue in cheek “Kiwi Christmas Rules” to follow this holiday season. There are a few quirks around the holidays in New Zealand that I laugh at now, but there was definitely a learning curve when we first arrived!
Thou shalt start Christmas shopping in October. This is especially true in covid times as it takes longer than normal to get things into the country. Even in non-covid years, however, I typically started in October to make sure I was getting the best deals on my gifts.
Thou shalt order your Christmas Turkey well in advance. And turkey is the only acceptable option for Christmas dinner apparently. However, if you want a good, fresh one, you’ve got to order it from your favorite local butcher, and they’ve been taking orders for months. Don’t worry - the local grocery stores will have (shudder) frozen ones if you forgot.
Thou shalt stock your pantry. There are only four days in the year when grocery stores close, and Christmas Day is one of them. Make sure you are prepared so you don’t get stuck missing that one obscure ingredient needed to complete a favorite holiday dish.
Thou shalt have at least one beach toy under the tree. Christmas at the beach is almost as sacrosanct as Christmas turkey. In the afternoon, the beaches will be full of families enjoying time together with their new beach toy(s). Over the years we’ve done little things like beach soccer balls to big things like stand up paddle boards. This year the kids are getting an incredible selection of sand castle building tools (thanks Uncle Anders).
Thou shalt put sunscreen in the stockings. This goes along with #3. If you’re going to the beach, then extra sunscreen is needed. The Kiwi sun feels twice as powerful as the northern hemisphere sun, and we all burn quickly without it.
Thou shalt take down your Christmas tree as soon as humanly possible. This only applies to live trees, and unfortunately, it is a necessity because as it is summer here, and the trees that looked great a few weeks ago inevitable turn crunchy really fast in the hot weather. Most tree places will offer tree pick up as a small add on when you purchase your tree. It is worth the NZ$10 for the tree to miraculously disappear. The tree companies typically set a pick up day just a day or two after Christmas. Everyone wants to get rid of their trees before the spontaneously combust or drop enough dead needles to create a hazard in the living room.
Thou shalt not gawk at Santa’s hairy legs. Santa will probably wear shorts because it is summer. And freakin’ hot. And no one wants Santa to pass out from overheating in a red polyester suit. So simply smile at summertime Santa and don’t pay attention to the leg hair.
So from our family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!
