Warming up to Christmas

This will be our sixth Christmas in New Zealand and still the lead up to the festive season feels a bit odd. Christmas cards in shops still have snow scenes on them and robins and snowmen still feature heavily in the decorations. However my kids are now in shorts on a daily basis and I have had to dig out my posh sandals for work and discard my winter tights. It all still feels decidedly unseasonal.

I am feeling a bit more festive since this afternoon as we decided to put up the outside lights. This is fun as you obviously get to use the outdoors far more than you ever would in the UK at Christmas time. Trouble is you have to stay up fairly late to get to appreciate the lights as it takes so long to get dark!

I am particularly pleased with these cheery little guys!

And since we live in a wood we had to include the trees in the Christmas spirit.

I do love Kiwi summers and as ours gradually approaches everything in the garden is beginning to bloom. I am willing to put up with feeling a little bit odd about a warm Christmas when everything is so vibrantly coming to life at this time of year.