Somehow or other, it came, just the same!

Turns out, Christmas comes and goes even when it happens in the middle of summer. I kept thinking of the poor Grinch at the end of the story, standing there stunned, thinking, "I didn't stop Christmas from coming, it came! Somehow or other, it came, just the same!" Of course, I wasn't trying to stop Christmas from coming, but I also wasn't managing to welcome it with open arms, since I couldn't quite remember that it was real.

But it was real. And quite nice, in fact. Our friend Jonathan and his parents, Marie and Ernest, invited us to their family Christmas, which was great. We chatted and snacked all morning, had a delicious Christmas meal in the early afternoon, and then played games until we headed home in the evening. We also got to try pavlova for the first time ever, and it was fabulous! It's basically a mountain of meringue, which you let get all crispy and good, and then smother with sweet yogurt and berries. Amazing. And all day, it was such a pleasant, happy home, full of wonderful people who enjoyed each others' company, so it was perfect for Christmas. We are so lucky to have great friends here already.

Boxing Day, which is the day after Christmas, is also a national holiday in NZ. It seems a bit like Black Friday in the States, in that there are tons of Boxing Day Sales, but the history is nicer. There are multiple stories, all originating in England, but a lot of them have to do with charity. Rich people used to give a box of goodies to their servants the day after Christmas, and then they'd get the day off to go home to their families. They also put donation boxes in churches for people to give to the poor at Christmas time. In more recent history, it has just become another day to spend with family, rather than going straight back to work.

J and I spend Boxing Day curled up at home watching movies and playing games, which was nice. We are headed up north past Auckland tomorrow morning for a 3-day trip, and so it was nice to have some down time before starting that.

I don't know if I will post anything while we're on the trip, but rest assured that there will be lots of pictures when we get back!!