Christmas in the Antipodes

The Strand arcade (above and below images) in Sydney's Wynyard district, offers a retro and charming feel on any day, with its immaculately maintained tiled walls and floors. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, the small and narrow arcade is transformed, especially after dark, and even if no access is provided, alluringly tempts passers-by to stop and stare. There are delights to discover in the various shops sited in this arcade, including currently, the only outlet of Haighs hand made chocolates in Sydney, as the parent business comes from Adelaide.

Auckland Christmas scenes differ in emphasis and mood. There are more natural displays (above) and along the main thoroughfare of Queen Street (below), touches of snow laden lands.

Christmas Lights in Surbubia

A fortnight before Christmas, Sydney's northern suburb of Ryde already showed the spirit of the festive and holiday season.Two residential streets, Stephen and Cutler, had houses glowing in positive merriment community spirit. The tinkles, the bulbs, the glitter and the ideas behind the decorations did not tell the full extent of dedication, thoughtfulness and work that went into preparing such outdoor lights. There were even house owners with their families and mates sitting in their gardens, whilst outsiders and visitors looked in awe at the displays.

There were no rules, except to delight and fascinate. Some kept it streamlined, others maintained simple effects and yet there were always pockets of concentrated happiness and glow. The quarter moon hung above it all like a sentry on duty - and not fazed by all this possibly competing brightness below.

There were different themes to pick out, and I enjoyed the Santa sliding down a long rope crossing over the abyss of the lawn below. All you had to do was give him a clap and he would perform. Icons and memorabilia of Christmas were carefully arranged, not just on roof top lines, around shrubs and bay windows, but also on closed garage doors, fencing and more. Perhaps even the residents would not be able to recognise certain house frontages on first sight - they were truly transformed.

The evening air was punctuated by laughter, small talk and the hush of impressed faces. Families got out, teenagers collected donations and couples held hands. The collective sense of community was heightened by participation, sharing and taking an interest. The late sunset of summer nights meant people could stay up late and feel the vibrant vibes of an otherwise quiet neighbourhood.

Christmas Giving

A few work colleagues thought it was just the festive Santa in me which drove the provision of  gifts in the run-up to the most recent Christmas. What underlies the real spirit of giving?

Gifts, when shared or made, are best from the heart and obviously need not be material.  They can at least be gestures and tokens of the feelings they try to express,  at most are true sacrifices of time, sweat, concern and effort and, at best, be unseen and anonymous. Some of the fellow beings I am surrounded with have me amused, suggesting a myriad and complex framework of obligations that gifts must only be amongst family and those who decide or support their pay packet, or only when the giver gets something tangible in return, with the bathwater thrown out with the proverbial baby for others.  This makes culling easier for most, but to me is very short-sighted.

I feel strongly in making an expression to show appreciation for those who have been kind and helpful to me in the past year, especially to those I do not have to or those who do not expect anything, and to send a strong and clear mesage to those who fall in the opposite dimension. It is not a gift, in my view, when one can authorise and/or organise a paid another to do the work and arrangements in one's name.  A gift is  making time and effort for another in a personal way.

To acknowledge thanks and recognition to a well deserved person only once annually, and near the commercialisation of Christmas time, can be just in bad and insincere taste. How have I been treating the person the whole of the year, and have I surprised such recipients of a gesture in a smile, a word of grateful expression or some unexpected act of reaching out,  especially when it is least expected, at a point of time before the annual holiday season? Has this person reciprocated likewise? Gift giving at best can be a mutual exercise, a real process of give and take and enhancing the magical circle of enjoying each other's company in simple understanding.

Gift giving is not linked to a chain of outward expectations. The nature of gifts can be especially delightful when it reflects an innate understanding of the both the recipient and the giver.  True gifts can outlast temporal vibes and be appreciated even if given only once.  They are not subject to trappings, diverting appearances and need not be wrapped in glittery paper. Gifts are essentially tokens of  conduiting and reflecting larger feelings.  A gift that nurtures positive things in recipients beyond the seasonal hype lives up to the original meaning of the action.  True gifts accentuate what is already encouraging in the recipients and make their star shine even more.  They never pose a further problem but help to resolve partly what the recipient may be looking for.  Reflect on this, you may have actually received a more valuable and unique gift, even when it was not obvious, not initially tangible and when it was not even Christmas.