Christmas Preparations

Christmas brings memories of snowy days and chilly nights in Kansas.

In Invercargill, Christmas follows shortly after the longest day of the year and is early summer with relatively balmy temperatures. We've had rain and a cold southerly wind, so it is not what you'd call hot, but it is a time for Christmas lillies and hydrangas like this one growing right outside our front door.













Three years ago we bought a live Christmas tree (see photo left)and planted it afterwards. It is now about 9 feet tall as you can see in the next photo. Trees have two growing seasons here, so they grow twice as fast. Last year we didn't have a tree, but this year we bought an imitation tree and even some stockings to hang by the chimney. Our youngest, Peter, insisted on it.

Here are a few photos of the festival preparations.
















Karen tries to keep some of the Christmas traditions, such as pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, in New Zealand, there is no canned pumpkin in the stores. Pumpkins are large green gourds that are as hard as a rock. Making a pie from them is a two day process, involving cooking, scraping, pressing, and finally cooking again. Not many people eat pumpkin pie here, but pumpkin soup is popular (and tasty!)



Turkeys are much smaller here also. This year we had the opportunity to try a free-range turkey from one of Karen's students. No, I'm not carving the turkey in this photo. I'm pulling pin feathers with a pair of needle nosed pliers! Call us city folk, but next year we're going back to the commercially prepared turkeys.

Patience is a virtue not often found in the young.







Fresh hot pecan rolls for a Christmas morning snack.