Our First Christmas

Sitting by the pool, BBQ'ing, presents, more sitting by the pool, eating chocolate and hanging out with family = Our first Kiwi Christmas.

It was such a different & surreal experience. I decided since I can't get most of my photo's up right now I would do a top 10 list of why I loved our first Christmas....

10. Being in a swimsuit all day
9. Celebrating it with my loving husband
8. Getting fun presents from my in laws that made me feel known
7. Getting to skype with my family in Holland and in CA....priceless seeing my Grandma, Nana, and Aunt Velma using skype...my aunt Denise was of course the cutest!
6. Being in my swimsuit ALL day
5. Being perplexed about the fact that Kiwi's don't overeat...I have to say I was quite confused, yet it did feel good to not wake up sick the day after Xmas from all the junk you ate.
4. Seeing the present James got me....He hand picked out special Xmas desserts that his little friend's mom makes and sells.
3. Being in my swim suit ALL DAY
2. Having a "traditional English trifle" minus the ground beef sauteed with peas and onions....hehehe. That is for the Friends enthusiast out there. But we really did have a trifle for dessert...again a little perplexed to not be deciding what dessert I won't have to make room for all the desserts I want...only one dessert...different, not weird just different.
1. Getting the most amazing perfectly picked out gifts from my husband!!!!


(Inside was a gift certificate for a pedicure--which I had wanted so bad! And and IOU of O Magazine with Ellen on the cover...apparently NZ gets O Magazine after the rest of the world...oh to be the tiny island at the bottom of the world...)



(Sam picked these flowers for me on our walk and Rosie got me this vase...so cute that they gave me a gift together...they decided it would be a tradition. I had wanted a vase so bad and didn't even think to ask for it...Rosie knows me well)

Christmas Eve Sam and I went for a walk and spent the evening just hanging out and being together enjoying our first Christmas. We opened presents together....it was a fun tradition to start and the next morning when James was freaking out at 7:30am (because he had been up since 4:30am waiting for everyone to get up) I realized it was a very GOOD idea to do our presents on Christmas Eve...Sam is not so much the morning person, so a late night present opening was perfect!

I definitely missed my family and the traditions we have, but loved the moment. I am so thankful for what I have and have loved enjoying all the tiny moments that make up our first year together. Like I said, I missed some things but thats normal and it didn't outweigh or overshadow all that I enjoyed that was new. My first warm Christmas was full of firsts, overwhelming, delightfully wonderful and full of memories that I love and know that I will love thinking back on...

I hope your Christmas was WONDERFUL!!!