land of the long white cloud: one sleep til christmas

twas the night before christmas, and all round the bach (holiday home, usually simple beach house)

not a possum was stirring; not one we could watch

we'd left on the table a meat pie and beer

in hopes that st.nicholas (ahem, yes Zoe, FATHER CHRISTMAS) soon would be here.

the children were snuggled up in their "bonk" beds,

while dreams of pavlova danced through their heads;

and mum in her nightie, and dad in his shorts,

had just settled down to watch TV sports....

(from A KIWI NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Yvonne Morrison and Deborah Hinde). kraais and milstein/carrs, your part kiwi little monkies will enjoy their own copies, courtesy of zoe and téa, next year.

And on and on it goes, in classic Kiwi fashion. Santa shows up on a tractor wearing an All Blacks 'wife beater', boxers and 'wellies' (rain boots). and, being from new zealand, he is, OF COURSE, pulled by his trusty sheep. Now, Flossy, now Fluffy, now, Shaun and Shane! On Bossy, on Buffy, on Jason and Wayne! Clearly i'm not a Christmas purist. But, how could you NOT love this?

Anyway, here on Fyffe st., as Father Christmas' elves turn in for the night, with two little monkies snuggled up in bed, we seem to have managed to put together something from nothing in a far off land this year.

Ornaments have been made:

And hung on the tree:

Carols have been sung. Ok, so it may not have been so cheery walking up and down the hospital wards with electric candles, walmart santa hats, and a gaggle of staff and kids. but, the spirit was right.

Gingerbread creation has been slathered with frosting and a stray piece of candy (that wasn't pirated into a pocket under the table) by Nannie, standing in for Dusty, and the girls: