Kiwi Living in Quebec: December 2014

Sunday 28 December 2014

Merry Christmas : Celebrating "The Twelve Days of Christmas"

Tradition in many cultures continues today with a lovely celebration of the twelve days of Christmas through until the 5th or 6th of January.

The celebration of the Epiphany with a King's cake galette des Roi in Quebec city, symbolising the journey of the Three Wise Men to baby Jesus, in biblical times, still continues with several bakeries offering this cake in my neighbourhood.

photo courtesy of the French Embassy, Ottawa

I love the idea that I can continue wishing family and friends a Merry Christmas into the New Year!

Decorations and festivities can stay up around the house.

There's no need to tear down the tree with all its trimmings straight away.

It is even said that Shakepeare's Twelfth_Night_(holiday) is an ode to the celebratory end of the twelve days of Christmas.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Friday 26 December 2014

Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas) sung in French by children

sung in French by Jozef's school class (maternelle I and II) at L'Arbrisseau

Tuesday 23 December 2014

School's Out ... time for sledding, December 2014

on the last day of school before Christmas

Monday 22 December 2014

The Christmas Story - a Kiwi version

as told by children of St Paul's, Auckland, New Zealand

Saturday 20 December 2014

Simple Gift Giving for Christmas

When asking a child what they'd like for Christmas here's a simple philosophy that I enjoy following:

something they WANT, something they NEED, something to WEAR and something to READ ...

something they WANT (toys of course Mum!)
something they NEED (could be as simple as new underwear; or a bigger pair of ice-skates for school)
something to WEAR (the request was a "crocodile t-shirt" ... Santa's still working on this; or some Christmas pyjamas)
something to READ (this year my son requested the letters V, W, X, Y and Z just like the caricature's at school ... another tricky problem for Santa to solve!)