Christmas in Summer

What is it like to celebrate Christmas in summer? 

Christmas suddenly came around. I wasn't and still am not in the Christmas mood. Without mulled wine, Christmas markets, cookies, and snow, Christmas just isn't Christmas (at least not for me).

However, it was still a nice day today. We let the 24th of December pass us by and on the 25th of December we celebrated Christmas, as it is usual in NZ. Around noon, we gathered in the kitchen to prepare the food together. 

I tried making dumplings for the first time in my life. Dumplings are filled pastry pouches 🥟 and very popular among the Chinese. So, you roll out the dough, fill the pastry pouches, and then fry them. With the guidance of Jessica from China, I prepared the pastry pouches together with her.

I celebrated Christmas with friends and the New Zealand family. So, we were a funny group with people from New Zealand, China, and Germany.

After lunch, there was a little gift exchange and then Christmas was over. So, this year I spent Christmas without Christmas music, church, and self-sung Christmas carols.

For dessert, we had pavlova, a cake made from a meringue mixture that is not only a national dish here in NZ but also in nearby Australia. Usually, pavlova is decorated with fruits and tastes absolutely great.

The strangest but still one of the most beautiful Christmases I have ever celebrated. 

In general, Christmas is celebrated differently here than in Germany. On the evening of the 24th of December, some go to the midnight mass. However, the actual Christmas takes place on the 25th. In the morning, there are the presents and afterwards most people go to the beach or stay at home to have a BBQ. The 26th is then the so-called Boxing Day. (Please don't translate literally ;)) All stores re-open after the Christmas holiday and have super bargain offers. So, you can imagine Boxing Day like Black Friday.

I hope you also had a good Christmas!!

I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Yours, Miri 😊