New Zealand

In New Zealand, like its neighbour Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of the Summer holidays.

My distant relations that live in New Zealand tell me that there are lots of people out camping or at their Baches (holiday homes) for Christmas.

Many New Zealanders have a barbecue for Christmas lunch and this is becoming more popular. The food cooked on the barbecue is often ham slices or even venison or other exotic meat. Shrimps and other fish are also barbecued!

My relations have an English type Christmas meal in the middle of June (New Zealand’s mid winter)!

They open their presents on Christmas day once the whole family is all together. This is usually before the Christmas lunch.