Cracker Making Evening at Home

A lovely night was had by all as we created Christmas Crackers and had a lovely catch up over a glass of wine!

Tim is home!

After 5 years working in London Tim has arrived home! It is so lovely to have him back!!!

Christmas is almost here

 I think it is time to say a little about Christmas Celebrations. I am very enthusiastic about many rituals, and Christmas is one I like to fully participate in. I have always looked forward to all the rituals that surround the Christmas festivities. While we were living in Scotland it was a great pleasure to participate in these events, many of which have their roots in the northern hemisphere. One of the rituals of Scotland that I  brought back to NZ was the cracker making. I have for many years held a Cracker Making Evening in the week before Christmas. Neighbours and friends join in the celebrations. Cracker Making is not mandatory and some prefer to just come and celebrate Christmas with us.

 Patrick and his friends making christmas crackers at Christmas time!!

Dave and Wendy as Aliens some years later!!

 Dave and I took these costumes to another level and definitely another height at a later date!

Patrick the Alien!

Patrick the Alien! Patrick is our youngest son and he is also very enthusiastic about dressing up. Here is an early photo of him with his friend Finn dressed up as Aliens! These were the costumes that the entire family dressed up in to enter the new Millenium! It was quite a feat to get everyone into costume at the time!!

Halloween in Scotland, filled with opportunities to have fun!

It was Scotland that fully introduced us to all the possibilities of Halloween. There was no trick or treat, in Scotland their practices for Halloween, preceeded the American adaptations. In Scotland the celebrations were based on a the Celtic festival of Samhain, this is the feast of the all-souls.  Halloween customs in Scotland consisted chiefly of children going door to door "guising" dressing up and offering entertainment of various sorts in return for gifts. This practice involved children performing in some way like singing a song, telling jokes, or playing and instrument - for their efforts they would be invited in to eat some food in the home. Then at the end of the guising everyone would gather in the community hall and everyone would perform and have a party. Here is a photo of Tim and I all ready to begin our Halloween night in Scotland. We had been very busy making our costumes!

SuperTed in Scotland

Here is Tim in Scotland dressed up for his first Halloween. It was to be his favourite character of the time... SuperTed. Here he is with his friend Ben out at Killiecrankie. Tim's costume was a collaboration by Mum and Dad. Dave made the rather spectacular head gear!!