Christmas Down Under

Even though it is summer here in New Zealand, it is December just as it is in New York. Yesterday was December 25th, Christmas Day. The celebration of Christmas is definitely a part of New Zealand culture. All of the schools and businesses are closed for the holiday. Christians and non-Christians alike celebrate the day by joining with friends and family, eating a meal together, and exchanging presents. Many who celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus attend church.

The days before Christmas, the shops are decorated and people are out shopping for presents. Children are visiting Santa in the mall, telling him what they want for Christmas.The young fellow in this picture is trying to be very brave, but he looks rather scared, don't you think? Notice that people are wearing short-sleeved shirts because it's summertime.

We noticed a couple of big differences between Christmas in the northern hemisphere and Christmas here in the southern hemisphere (sometimes called "Down Under"). The most noticeable is that very few houses were decorated with lights. In the northern hemisphere, where the days are short in December, people turn on their Christmas lights at about 5:00 when it's getting dark. Many people are still out and around at that time of evening, so they can enjoy them as they drive home from work or the shops. Sometimes older people start to feel depressed (sad about life) when the days are so short and the nights are so long. Festive lights help cheer them up. In the southern hemisphere, however, the days are long and the nights are short in December. It doesn't get dark here until after 10:00pm. This is very late to start turning decorative lights on because most people are already home for the night. Hardly anyone would ever see them!

The second big difference is that very few people buy a live Christmas tree for their home. I saw only a few for sale, and that was at a gas station. They had very long pine needles and very droopy branches, so they looked different from the Christmas trees purchased in New York. Most people decorate their home without a tree, or buy an artificial(fake)Christmas tree to decorate.

Here are some photos I took on Christmas Day when we went for a walk by the seaside. As you can see, some people spent the day on the beach, although this year it was rather cool on December 25th.

Some people had their Christmas lunch at the park, and spent the day playing together.

How did I spend Christmas Day? My husband and I picked up our favorite present at the airport that morning - our son, Winston! He is a college student at Columbia University, in New York City, so he could not move out here for the year. He now has three weeks vacation from school so he flew out right away. We were so happy to see him!!!

Here is a photo of Winston on our walk. (Those of you in my class will remember him from the time he came to photograph you for our magazine article.) He is standing in front of a Pohutukawa tree. There are many in bloom all over town. Since it blooms in December, and the flowers are bright red, it is often called the New Zealand Christmas Tree.

From my family to yours, we wish you the very happiest of holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, or Kwanzaa, and the very best year ever in 2007. I would love to hear about your family traditions for the season. Just click comments below.

Ms. Christie-Blick