Christmas

If you spend your Christmas holiday in New Zealand you’ll be in for Christmas in the summer sun! Although you’ll still find the familiar Santa, snow and reindeer decorations, New Zealand Christmas is more about cold beer than mulled wine, jandals (Kiwiana-speak for flip-flops) than winter boots and beaches than snowy woods!

Christmas is celebrated on 25 December and presents are usually exchanged before lunch. Many New Zealanders will attend a morning or evening church service. The rest of the day might include formal Christmas lunches (complete with roast meats and vegetables reminiscent of mid-winter), beach barbeques, picnics, outdoor games and parties. Businesses close on Christmas Day, although large stores often open on Boxing Day for big Boxing Day sales.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas many New Zealand cities celebrate with family-friendly Santa parades – Santa may well arrive on a New Zealand jet boat before he boards his sleigh! Christmas food often consists of a traditional Christmas roast of ham or turkey with roasted vegetables (including New Zealand Kumara), steamed pudding with custard, fruit-filled Christmas cakes and fruity Christmas mince pies. A dessert favourite is the typical Kiwi dish, Pavlova, topped with whipped cream, strawberries and kiwifruit.

During the festive season, traditional Christmas carols are sung in churches and outdoor carol services. But New Zealand has also adapted several Christmas songs to suit their summer Christmas. Tunes such as A Kiwiana Christmas, Sticky Beak Kiwi and The Southern Cross Looks Down are popular Kiwi Christmas songs!

As in most countries, in New Zealand Christmas is a time spent with family and friends. For children, Christmas also marks the start of the long summer holidays, and so you’ll find that Kiwis flock to camping grounds, beach resorts and holiday homes, known here as baches. If you are visiting New Zealand from Christmas through to early February, this is a great chance to join in celebrations and have fun with the locals. However, bear in mind that New Zealand accommodation during peak season quickly books out and it is advisable to book early.