“The changes from season to season,
The dawning that brings the new day.
These wonders mist all have a reason,
It was intended that way…..”
It’s Saturday evening here in New Zealand and I know that for many of you it is still Friday or perhaps even Saturday morning. We are lucky in that New Zealand’s East Coast sees the sunrise before any other place in the world.
Of course, as we are on the other side of the world, we have the seasons the wrong way up – that is if you are a Londoner as am I.
I remember when we first arrived – June 11 1967. I had two small children and June in Scotland where we had been living, is summer time and time for going to the beach or pool. Not in Auckland New Zealand. That first winter it rained almost every day and the children were at a loose end. We were in a hotel and of course, at that time, hotels didn’t really cater for children. So each day I took them out to amuse them.
Things improved when my daughter went to school – well at least for her – my son still had all the hours to fill in without his playmate.
I clearly remember that first Christmas. Can you imagine the scene – Auckland, hot and humid and a Christmas tree was delivered. As was our tradition, the children ‘helped’ me decorate the tree. Outside the temperature soared and the pool looked very inviting.
Then my daughter asked in her little piping Scottish voice “But Mummy, when will it snow?” Up till then she had seen snow each Christmas.
Even after all these years, Christmas in the heat seems wrong. When I had Christmas at my house I did all the traditional things, roast turkey and the trimmings, roast vegetables, plum pudding and sauce. My children who now take it in turns to do Christmas dinner don’t do this. Instead they acknowledge the heat and usually have a barbecue outside. It is always a festive occasion but where is my tradition. They are of course, making their own traditions as they should.
So a couple of years ago, some (Northern hemisphere) friends and I got together to have a winter Christmas in July. We are talking about doing it again this year. We will have to wait and see whether or not we follow through on this discussion.
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“One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating.
And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.”
Laurie Colwin ‘Home Cooking’
I choose how I will spend the rest of my life 
June 11th 1967 graduated high school and turned 18 on June 18.
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June was obviously a good month in 1967.
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It does take some getting used to. Today in Auckland we are having a fantastically cool sunny day and I reminded myself that if I were back in the northern hemisphere this would be the equivalent of mid January
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Hi tom. Here it is dry, some sun and cold rather than cool – only 12 degrees.
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I love the idea that NZ sees the first sunrise! I I derstand the heat at Christmas. When I lived in south Texas the stores would be playing Carols but with palm trees it just didn’t feel quite the same!
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Yes and stores here begin playing carols earlier and earlier each year. I still find Christmas in the het strange.
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I can relate to your daughter’s feelings. We moved to Florida when I was a girl and I remember wondering how Santa would deliver the presents because we didn’t have a fireplace. It seems so strange until I got older and realize that in many places of the world, Christmas is indeed a warm weather tradition.
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Well it still seems strange to have Christmas in the heat even after all these years.
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I like the idea of creating your own Christmas in July tradition, at least as far as the meal is concerned. I cannot imagine trying to cook a Christmas dinner in the heat we’re currently experiencing. I’d be barbecuing instead.
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When my children have Christmas at their houses they always barbecue but I really like an old fashioned Christmas.
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I haven’t seen a white Christmas since we moved to the desert nearly twenty-five years ago. At least the weather can be on the cool side, though. I never thought about the season differences between the hemispheres. I couldn’t imagine cooking in the heat of summer, so I think you and your friends have a good idea with the Christmas in July theme. I hope you get to do it this year, too.
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Unfortunately it doesn’t look as if it will come off this year. A couple of people will be away and the enthusiasm is there among the rest. So perhaps next year….
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Should have said enthusiasm isn’t there..
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Love the photos and the changing seasons of both the weather and life… 🙂
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Thanks Elizabeth. Hope you made some time for yourself over the weekend.:)
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Preparing for Christmas took a bit of getting used to the first few years after we moved south. It’s not all that far, but near the coast, and sometimes it still feels like early fall at Christmas. As a child, we had white Christmases, which certainly set the mood…I was waiting for that change that didn’t come.
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After all these years it still doesn’t feel right – sunshine at Christmas
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