Christmas and Litha
intertwined, in December,
How shall we marry them true.

In the northern hemisphere it is more simple. Christmas and Yule are both celebrations with traditions based in winter. In beautiful New Zealand it is more of a conflict but we make it work. And this year, everything worked out especially well.

It was my turn to organise Christmas this year so due to the hectic nature of the season, I thought an early celebration would be good. That way no-one would be worrying about shops closing on them and clashing family events. So, I opted to celebrate our family Christmas celebration on the day of summer solstice – the 22nd of December.

I pulled names from a hat to organise a Secret Santa, in which each person attending would only buy a gift (or gifts) for one other person, with a rough $30 budget for the gifts. Our family is fairly minimalist and eco-friendly so I encouraged everyone to talk with other family members to determine the best, and most useful appropriate gift for their chosen “Santee”.

We also divided up the food burden. My aunt made ham and acquired a pavlova, my mother made a potato salad and brought chicken, my brother made focaccia and a delicious pasta salad. I brought some lamb and a cheese platter and my partner brought a great green salad. We all contributed to the beverages.

The day came around and the nerves were a bit high, with some wondering if they’d done enough (for a mallow puff? 😉 ). But once everyone was settled at my aunt and uncle’s house around 6pm, we all started to have an excellent time. Perhaps eased by a bottle of prosecco, we dove equally into the cheeses and into catch-up conversation of what everyone had been up to for the past year. Sitting out on their spacious deck with a great view of downtown auckland, this was a delightful time. 🙂

An hour or so (an hour and a half?) later, we laid out and got stuck into the main course – also sitting out on their deck, but this time accompanied by rose for some, and for others, ginger beer. Great conversation abounded and we reflected on some happy memories from when we were all younger.

At 8:30pm, feeling very full, we dug into dessert of pavlova, cream, and a few strawberries freshly picked from my aunts garden. It was a perfect end to a perfect meal, even if we all felt more like “waddling” was now a truer way to describe our perambulation.

Last, but not least we gathered in the lounge to exchange gifts. 🙂 Everyone seemed thrilled with their gifts which ranged from coffee and olives to pot plants, cufflinks, and some clever kitchen and camping gadgets. It was a perfect end to a perfect evening.

Thanks for reading. 🙂