Christmas is shite in a hot country

[Meid]

The build up is just not the same, I know Christmas day won't be the same and it makes it worse to find out that its snowing at home!!!! How dare there be a snowy Christmas without me!!!

And I've just had tears remembering I normally put my glitter make up on Christmas day but this year it will just melt off so there's no point. Silly I know.

Tell me some good things about a hot Christmas please... I need some perspective on my thinking!

somehow I missed a whole page of posts , just read yours now Weta. I suppose it's true you get all those Christmas cards with snowmen and reindeer rompingthrough snow etc and it all looks so pretty so it is nice to experience CHrsitmas in winter for a change (well once or twice...)

I've been moaning about it "not feeling Christmassy", but you know what, it's nice not to have to worry about icy roads, the inevitable horrible slush that follows, the Christmas supermarket scrum - not so bad here for some reason - and best of all no MIL on Christmas Day. Hurrah for Christmas in Oz

Thanks everyone! Your responses have really helped me get my head around the situation. Decision is made, we are not going to try and replicate the impossible. Instead it will be a hot, outdoor christmas with bbq and swimming.

And hearing about everyone's struggles with the snow and ice has made me get that moan into perspective too.

I'm really looking forward to a sunny Xmas, weather permitting! Just moved to NZ one month ago from London and already the weather is chilling me out.

However DS1's birthday is 23 June and I am already planning to do a full Xmas dinner for it. So clearly I'm gutted to be missing the whole roast turkey & trimmings bit.

I can't deny I will be a bit gutted if the UK have a white xmas. Happy for everyone there (esp the kids), but I lived in the UK for 30 bloody Xmases (is that the plural of Xmas?) without so much as a single snowflake. Hmmmphhh.

Newkiwi - How new a kiwi are you? Where are you?

mumoverseas I'm in Dubai, so can get alcohol, and the malls have got Christmas trees up, but still just doesn't seem right!

Where are you?

I know how you feel Meid. We're about to spend our first Christmas in Singapore. At least there are Christmas decorations up in the shops and (bizarrely) carols playing in the supermarkets. But someone just sent me photos of our house in the UK in the snow and it's made me feel really homesick. Much as I hate the dark and grey skies in England, it just isn't Christmassy here when it's light from 7am to 7pm, and hot and humid (even though it's the rainy season).

And lots of DS's classmates and our neighbours are abroad for the holidays, so it's a bit quiet and dull. We're going to do the trad turkey thing at 5-6pm so at least we can light some candles afterwards, maybe a dip in the pool in the afternoon and take some photos to send the folks back home.

The only Christmas I've spent abroad was in JoBurg. I loved it, had a massive braai and a swim. Boxing day did the traditional dinner then sat outside.

I've just been to Cape Town and it was fabulous.

Saying that my Christmas break has began early due to not being able to get to work safely and I've just been for a stroll to the shops as the snow started again, had a brolly but wanted to be covered in snow.

Swings and roundabouts. I hope you have a lovely time.

Tubbyduffs Saudi

i know what you mean. this is our first xmas in australia. it doesn't feel like christmas but i'm really looking forward to it. we're planning a trip to the beach in the morning after doing presents and then off to some friends for a cold meat salad late lunch. we're having cold turkey that will be done before xmas day and salad is easy to do so my work is cut in half. hope you enjoy it

mumoverseas ouch!!!

Did my Christmas shopping last night, Toys R Us was nearly empty (mind you it was about 9pm we were there), but there just wasn't the atmosphere, no Christmas music in the shops!

Have been looking at all the photos posted on FB in the last couple of days showing the snow and am feeling a tad homesick (although I'm pretty sure if there I would be moaning my head off about the cold).

Its so cold here it gets painful, and I'm worried EVERY day about crashing the car on the ice.

We're supposed to visit people in the next few days, but I really feel like forgetting it all & just staying home with DP.

The roads are so dangerous & there has been a fatal crash in Cornwall now.

Trust me, you're better off in the warmer weather at the moment.

fgrtyu

that link doesn't work...

How about a Christmas carol service (SA not Saudi Arabia, expect they'd be thin on the ground there)? How about a nice session of carols Meid to get you in the mood?

Just remember... ice-cold champagne tastes much better it a hot climate!!!!!

Hope your Christmas went well, OP!

Swap you drizzle and cold, anyday!

ha, well we managed to do our trad Christmas dinner in the evening here in NSW, AUstralia (first one here) - it had cooled down by then and was starting to rain, which we have had over the last few days. As DH said - the greyness and rain made it seem more like England after all! The long evenings over Christmas here mean you lose a lot of the atmosphere - we have a 2yo so are rarely out after dark, so the only time we saw the lights on people's houses was on Christmas Eve. That helped a lot. Before that, it had all been a bit "Bah, humbug" but I got into it on Christmas Eve (just in time!).

Just wanted to update.

Christmas was in fact GREAT.

It was very relaxing and a lot less pressured than at home. I actually saw the benefits of Christmas in a hot country and totally take back my original moan. We had a bbq, played in the pool (only a paddling pool, at the moment though) and played with all the new toys. We were happy, kids were happy so really nothing to worry about in the end!

Thanks for all the support.

Am so jealous of you all in the sun, glad you had fun.

Well done Meid, I'm glad it all went so well, you obviously have done much better than I did on my first one overseas - I was miserable.

Happy New Year to you.