Boxing Day

Presents are unwrapped, a scrumptious dinner eaten and the pine needles are starting to hit the carpet already.

With a self imposed offline day yesterday, it was quite refreshing to mostly be away from all electrical equipment (bar the TV when the kids started to dance Gangnam Style!).

Favourite part of the Day? Gathering with almost all of my London family for Roast Turkey & Beef, Christmas Pud & a lot of laughter.

Favourite memory of the Day? Grandad getting up & trying it Gangnam Style.

Favourite (only) Photo of the day?

Hubby gets a bit blue as the excitement of the impending Christmas season is over, and once the New Year has passed, we have to trudge through the grimness of January. I can honestly say I've never thought of it that way, but I suppose as a Kiwi with summer holidays in January, it was never a cause for sadness.

 

 

 

We have been very retrospective today, musing the highlights of this year, and by anyones standard 2012 has been an amazing year. London especially has been a very exciting place to be.

• The Diamond Jubilee - I got to see the Queen!! 

•  The Olympics - absoloutely smashing 

•  Made some great new friends over the year - caused mischief camping & brunching to name but two instances 
• Climbed the iconic Big Ben 
• I completed a 5k - something I would never think I could do

I also started this here little blog, which you are all so kind to read day in day out, and I'd like to thank you for this. Thank you for giving me a chance to share our adventures.

We have a lot of exciting new plans for next year, and I hope you will stick around to join in them with us.

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Christmas

This Kiwi is signing offline for the day, to spend it getting merry with friends and family I hopw you are enjoying the day wherever you are, whatever you have planned.

I hope you enjoy the below Carols, and I'll see you tomorrow!





Thinking of all our friends and family across the globe, especially in Japan.

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London Living: Christmas Eve Carols at St Pauls Cathedral

We spent today getting ready for tomorrow, catching up with Kiwi family as they start Christmas celebrations and then nipped out to St Pauls Cathedral, for their Christmas Eve Carol service.

 

I'm not especially religious, but I have to admit there was something lovely about the Cathedral all gussied up for Christmas, Carolling by the Choir and the bells pealing.

I hope that whatever your plans are over the Christmas Period, whether you are with Family, Friends, Friends who are Family, or chilling with a box of Chocolates & a bottle of bubbly, I hope you have a wonderful, safe day.

Arohanui (love) and thanks!

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Adventures of the Benign: Christmas Edition.

I've just had a really depressing thought. This time next year, we will no longer be celebrating Christmas 2012. On the bright side, For a week we get to celebrate family, festivities and probably overindulge.

Stay tuned for my favourite undulgent Christmas Slice - Chocolate, Orange, Coconut...

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..."

And, I haven't killed my plant yet - it's merrily flowering!

It doesn't feel like Christmas to me, until we've put up the Tree & turned the lights on.

Calm admist the Christmas Crazy...

 

I need your help. What on earth do you think the above are in relation to 'Christmas Moulds'? Gingerbread men?

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Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

I love the green and red glitter explosion that is Christmas. There is just something in me that loves it - maybe it's a lack of a Y chromosome?

As a Kiwi on the other side of the globe, Christmas was really different. Instead of going up to a Bach at the beach (a small holiday hut/house) or putting up a Marque/Tent in the backyard, it's cold, gets dark really early and we've had quite a few White Christmasses.

It's really lovely, to have a cold Christmas; egg nog, chestnuts, roast dinner & scurrying out of the cold.

Christmas Trees via the Train, gotta love life in the UK!

Over the years I've amassed a few Kiwi ornaments that we nestle amongst their English and European counterparts, we have picked up over the years.

Christmas tree ornamentation is rooted in a German tradition; the evergreen tree represents eternal life as it stays green all year. Candles or lights are now placed to represent "that Christ is the light of the world". We place a star on top to remember the star in the east, or an angel to represent our guardian angel, or the angel that appeared to the shepherds.

 

 

 

Hubby and I have started a tradition of picking up an ornament every year, so we will end up with a Tree full of memories.

 

 

What are your Christmas Decorating Traditions? Popcorn Strings, find the Pickle (a German tradition), home baking?

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Christmas Overload

I just wanted to take a little breather, a cup of Tea and a Mince Pie, and have a natter. I love Christmas and the silly season. It's a recent discovery as I always used to dislike the commercial side of Christmas, but in recent years I've discovered that anything is what you make of it.

If you enter something with a positive mindframe, the odds are that you are going to enjoy yourself. Perception is so important.

This year has been an important year - family, friends, settling, all of these things seeming to take on the importance that they are due.

Christmas is a celebration of this -  maybe I have rose tinted spectacles on, but it really should be a time for catching up with everyone you love - life is so busy day-to-day it's nice that there is a time of year essentially put aside for celebrating those you love.

Sure, there is a gross/dark commercial side to the holiday season, but when else do you spend as much time thinking about your loved ones, bar at Christmas when out shopping for a present that they may enjoy? At the end of the day, there should be no obligation when present giving - if you don't have expendable income (and let's face it, in this day and age, who does have much?) something thoughful and sweet is enough to convey that you love the person you're giving to.

We are definately having a festive Christmas season, and I'm getting very excited with getting our Tree today. It's a bit later than planned, but who cares.

It's also the season of whimsy - everyone just seems to be a little bit more unbent. I just wish that it could be like this all year - or maybe it is, but we don't take the time to notice it?

 

Have you reached a Christmas overload this year? Have you done your shopping yet?

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The 32nd Annual Christmas Pudding Race

What better way to start the silly season than watching a Christmas Pudding Race, held for Cancer Research in Covent Garden?

The relay/obstacle race track included a balloon Limbo, giant Jigsaw, letters to Santa, a blow-up slide, hanging baubles on the tree, a snowy Chicane and a balloon Limbo that needed to be popped by the Ivy on their Pudding. All whilst balancing a precarious plate of pudding on a tray.

 

Last years winners with their mascot and, er, the queen...

 

My personal vote for the best dressed goes to... Christmas Dinner, complete with actual Brussel Sprouts on her Brussel Sprout costume!

 

 

Santa and his Reindeer Crew look cute,

 

...but below their velour exteriors really mean business!

 

 

The racetrack was very able demonstrated by two of the 'unsigned' X-Factor boys & a tenor from La Boheme (So sorry, I didn't catch any of their names, but they were very good singing later).

 

 

Ever seen a Turkey, Batman and a group of rowdy Elves do a Zumba warm-up to "Hot hot hot"? There is nothing in the world quite like it.

 

 

Aaaaaaaand they're off!

 

  

Absoloute hats off to the contestants - it was absoloutely freezing, and a large group of them came up on the first train from Nottingham. Absoloute Kudos guys! Well worth all of the effort for the amazing fundraising.

Next year, I'm there, hopefully with a team if I can convince my friends & workmates. It's for SUCH a good cause - such a good cause, it got me doing a 5k earlier this year. This year I only learned about the pudding race 2 days before the actual race, much to my chagrin.

Please donate if you can, they are saving lives, and it's a cause dear to many peoples hearts, including mine.

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