25 Days of Christmas

HO, HO, HO--MERRRRRRRRRRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Well I have to admit...Christmas just isn't the same down here in Kiwi Land. It's not that it's bad, it's just that for self-proclaimed Christmas snobs like myself (and Drew), it's somewhat disconcerting that the month of December consists of shorts, flip-flops, BBQs, thunderstorms, scary movies on TV, and sunsets at 9pm! We are finding it slightly hard to get into the full-blown Christmas spirit without having to put on jackets and scarves when we go out, not being able to truly enjoy peppermint mochas from Starbucks, not having the 25 Days of Christmas movies on ABC Family, not having every street decked out in Christmas lights (there is only one street in Auckland that does lights), and definitely not being able to turn Christmas music on in the car 24/7 on 99.5FM! 

Having said that, we've been trying to incorporate as much Christmas as possible into things we're doing. I've decided to take a picture each day from December 1 - December 25 for my own 25 Days of Christmas...it helps to be able to find something Christmasy each day to remind me that this is still our favorite time of year!

Last weekend we went Christmas shopping downtown then wandered over to the outdoor market near our house to check out one of the largest advent calendars in the world! It's pretty cool, but we need to go back and check it out now that they've opened all of the doors for this week!

We also went to a winery called Matua Valley with our friends Will & Tally. Even though we sat outside on the porch and ate cheese and fresh fruit with our wine, they at least played Christmas music on their stereo so it helped a little :)

This week has had some ups and downs (as most weeks do)...mostly it just feels like time is standing still because I'm so excited about going home in less than 2 weeks!! I've done some Christmas baking and watched some Christmas movies and just generally been trying to keep busy so the time passes quicker!




Here are some of the things we've done to help boost our holiday spirit:
-painted my nails with red & gold glitter (Drew did not participate in this)
-we found White Fudge Covered Oreos at the American Store
-made candy cane cookies (epic fail)
-made it through our first Apple Cinnamon Glade candle
-started packing Christmas presents to take home
-joined a group of friends to do the Santa Run*
-I went to the American Women's Club Christmas tea (pics below)
-I'm working on a Christmas embroidery projects
-made Puppy Chow (which is already half-way gone!)

  

*The Santa Run was actually really fun--despite the pouring down rain! We had a fun group of friends who met in the rain, put on cheesy Santa suits and ran/walked a 3K through downtown.

 

Tonight, we're going to the free Christmas concert put on by the Auckland Symphony Orchestra. Since it's free and they don't sell tickets, we're hoping that we can actually get in to enjoy it! Then, tomorrow night we're going out for an early birthday celebration for yours truly. Even though my birthday is still more than a week away, this is always a hard time of year to get groups together, so we took what we could get! We're supposed to be going to a fun restaurant for dinner and then to our favorite piano bar in Auckland. I'll post more on all of that later...

Cheers!