Doing it our own way.

We are making Christmas up as we go along. I'm happy to admit it. First, we couldn't decide what to call the old jolly man, we settled on Santa and now Bax is an expert. When I tried to sit on his knee tonight in a silly "who's going to read the story to whom?" game he said that he was Santa. A couple of days ago we were in the mall and he was pointing and shouting Santa Santa and I turned around and there was a elderly Muslim man wearing a long tunic and a very white beard - who see we're making it up as we go along.

Our Christmas tree is not even a tree, it's one of those green wire cones who get from the garden centre to grow vines up - and we've used wire twisty ties to cover it in decorations. At the base is the wax nativity Bax made at kindy and the "three wise santas" a santa babushka Gran picked up years ago in some dusty Eastern European market.

Bax and Izzie went to a Christmas Party at the Gym and had a terrific time - Bax rode a horse, Izzie ate bikkies.

And instead of driving up Franklin Road to look at lights we drove around to Skilgate Ave in Kelston where the predominantly Indian community have helped turn the entire (and I mean every single house) subdivision into a city of lights. I presume it started as a Diwali thing back in November but every one has got into it and the houses are covered in lights with Santas on roofs and reindeer with moving parts on the lawn.

For Christmas day we are going to Granny Rob Rob's sister's house and the guests of honour are a japanese couple. So of course we are having sushi - for Christmas dinner - as well as an array of Pacific inspired desserts from a cook book that Granny Rob and I both have and adore the contents of.

Speaking of Granny Rob and Sushi she tells a marvellous story of taking a japanese professor out for Sushi in Auckland and the guest said how much she loved it "Oooo I love that California sushi, so good - nothing like in japan - but very very good". So we are having the californian kind rather than the japanese kind.

For Christmas Eve we are having a few people here and I think I'll do tapas - can't see any reason why not.