Christmas in the summertime

I love looking at posts showing Christmas in the northern hemisphere but for me Christmas happens in the summer. So I thought I would show you some pictures from a summer 

Christmas Day past.

One year we kitten sat for our daughter, summer is kitten time, and she ended up decorating our tree. She loved the fact that we had put  a tree in the lounge for her and covered it with all sorts of shiny toys. She gave us a lot of laughs as she climbed from bottom to top and back again.

Of course there is always heaps of food and even with summer salads and cold meats it is easy to over eat if you're not careful.

And if you manage to behave with the salads 

maybe you won't be so good with the summer desserts.

Naturally there are delicious sweet and savoury nibbles 

scattered around in strategic places as well.

Afterwards there's always time to sit around out of the sun 

and just relax and socialise, have a long cool drink or two

 and wash all that party food down.

Or join the kids for a game of backyard cricket and maybe lose some of those calories you just piled on over lunch. Or what's more likely, lose the ball, probably on a neighbours roof :)

But before any of this happens there is the opportunity to attend a Christmas church service and celebrate the birth of Jesus, who is after all, the reason for the season.

Just a little glimpse of a 

summertime Christmas, 

I hope you enjoyed it.

joining Amy and friends for:

five on Friday

Diana

I wasn't going to...

...post again until after New Year 

but couldn't resist the pull, haha.

So that's my willpower down the drain

 before we even get to the resolutions bit, 

so I don't think I'll bother.

Four of my six grandchildren were at youngest 

daughter's home for Christmas dinner, 

along with parents and grandparents and one great grandparent,

 so it was quite a crowd. Later in the day 

another cousin arrived from up the street 

where he had been celebrating with his grandparents 

and all the kids had a good time together.

Youngest grand daughter is modelling the scarf/stole

she received from her aunty and uncle in Japan.

All the girls of all ages received one in different colours,

mine was in neutral colours with a rose pattern. Lovely.

It was a lovely day with just a bit of a breeze. 

We had been planning on a barbecue 

but the long term weather forecast was a bit iffy

 so we decided against it. 

We still had hot weather desserts though, 

because that's what we do in New Zealand.

I can't begin to imagine what to make 

for a cold weather dessert at Christmas.

I ate far too much of everything 

and will be taking myself out for a walk

 after tea tonight when it cools down a little.

Mackie, youngest daughter's old cat (about 12 or 13) guarding 

his Christmas chow from the kittens (about 4 months).

And of course the Boxing Day sales were all on today. 

We don't usually indulge because it is such a mad house, 

but guess what? We found ourselves at the Warehouse, 

quite accidentally of course, but didn't spend too much. 

We just bought stuff we needed - like the new cushions 

we had been planning on getting for the swing seat.

 Half price, a bargain ! Now we just have to get a coat 

of paint on that swing and she'll look as good as new.

And of course I really I needed wanted this blingy top. 

I have been looking at it for a couple of months

 and as it was also half price I thought it was

 too good an opportunity to let pass :)

We had actually only gone up to the local shops

 to buy vacuum cleaner bags but ended up in the city 

because our shops didn't have the ones I needed.  

That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it. :) 

And just because I can here is a windmill I grabbed from the 

Good as Gold $2 shop because I liked the colours!

Sometimes you just have to let your inner child loose.

joining in with the party at:

Wake Up Wednesday

Hoping your Christmas

was truly blessed

and that 2016 brings

all you hope for.

Diana