Christmas in Island Bay

Christmas with the Andersen family is a wonderful experience, I was made to feel very welcome and comfortable. There are seven kids plus spouses and partners, mum and dad and grandparents, and three brothers and partners and children attendant at dinner on Christmas Eve for a traditional Danish meal. We ate duck and ham with roast vegetables and cabbage; an excellent meal for thirty seven, most of whom left that evening to go home for their own family Christmasses. On the morning of Christmas Day we attended Mass and sang along to the carols before walking home for tea and breakfast. Presents take about two and a half hours to get through since they are opened one by one, a tradition I really enjoyed because it made one appreciate the effort made in buying gifts.

Svend bought me some New Zealand wine - thankyou!










Cath and Dylan bought me a t-shirt with a Maori tiki design - thank you!










Phillip and Erina bought me a book by Max Cryer - thank you!










Ellen bought me a cricket set - thank you!










Paul and Joella gave me a hunting knife - thank you!










Erik and Rachel bought me a lovely book - thank you!