We all want a figgy pudding? While they are delicious, and Te Mata Figs have fabulous ones, “We all want a small siesta, tummies all full of Judy’s pasta, I had a wee bit of bubbly beverage, and I’ve peaked too soon” might be more befitting of a backyard lunch in the Kiwi sun.
It’s not really the sound of jingle bells which echoes across the backyards of Aotearoa at Christmastime; it’s more like: “Mother’s yells, mother’s yells, no-one’s helping out; oh, what fun it is to see our mother scream and shout, hey! Mother’s yells, mother’s yells, Dad’s off for a nap - ‘I did all the work for this and no-one gives a crap.”
And as for last Christmas? If it’s anything like our house, it’s: “Last Christmas, I gave you that mug, and I kinda knew, when you denied me a hug - that I might have got it slightly wrong.”
In all seriousness though, with summer sun, pōhutukawa in bloom, friends, family, barbecues, and maybe the odd misjudged present, I absolutely love a Kiwi Christmas. Even if I do have to hear Snoopy’s Christmas 500 times before it’s here!