You've not lived until you've danced for cash from your grandma. Photo / Getty Images
You've not lived until you've danced for cash from your grandma. Photo / Getty Images
Nothing quite says Kiwi Christmas like the family coming together to decorate a pavlova, blast Snoopy’s Christmas, play backyard cricket and hide the pickle. Am I right?
Judging by the shocked looks on my colleagues’ faces at the latter, I am not.
It turns out hiding the pickleis not something every family does; my debauturous bunch might be the only one in Aotearoa that does.
Let me explain.
When my extended family gather on Christmas Eve, we battle it out to see who can find the elusive, pickle-shaped, 1:1-scale Christmas-tree ornament.
Sometimes he’s hidden in the depths of the tree like the cheeky sod he is, sometimes disguised within the festive decor. One year, he was even hiding in plain sight, cast as baby Jesus in the Christmas nativity scene.
When the host declared the race was on, the kids (aka anyone under 40) raced around the house to find the pickle. Cousins climbed over one another, siblings gave one another the people’s elbow, and adults laughed as black eyes and bloodshed rained down on us all. None of this was helped by the fact cousin TJ was a semi-professional wrestler.
Whoever found the pickle – and managed to avoid TJ’s grapple – got a present on Christmas Eve and was the master of the pickle.
The elusive Christmas pickle. Photo / Getty Images
As we got older and moved to other countries, we were gifted a pickle of our own as a rite of passage, something to hide in our own homes and continue the tradition with.
On finding out that my American was showing, and this is not a classic New Zealand tradition, it got me thinking: what are the traditions that Kiwi families have that are unique to their household?
I chatted to five Kiwis about their favourite Christmas traditions, where they came from, and the ones that have got them ... in a pickle.
The favourite child
We have little Christmas stockings on the tree that have our names on them. Whichever child’s name/stocking is highest on the tree on Christmas is declared the winner and the favourite child. There is also the “Christmas loser” with their stocking at the bottom of the tree.
The only rules on getting to the top are that you cannot be seen moving the stockings, which is tough with a family of eight; and the stockings must remain in contact with the tree at all times.
The tradition originated from long-standing sibling rivalry, like the favourite gets the front seat, or to sit closer to mum.
– Joseph Miller
Father Time
I was in my 20s when it was revealed to me that not everyone was told about Father Time, who helped Santa travel the world within eight hours by, well, stopping time.
Turns out little Chelsea asked too many questions (and knew about international travel) and Mum had to think of something on the spot.
I immediately called my brother, also in his 20s, and told him nobody else knew who Father Time was. He was like, ‘umm, what’?
The big Christmas celebration for us happens on December 24 with a Filipino-Spanish tradition called Noche Buena.
We have a feast at midnight and our menu always involves glazed ham and my mum’s famous macaroni salad.
She is a terrible cook who doesn’t go near a stove for most of the year, but on Christmas Eve she wows everyone by making the most delicious dish that has our guests taking leftovers and asking for a recipe! Her secret? Best Foods mayo and probably the fact it’s a once-a-year affair.
– Jess Molina
Private dancer, a dancer for money
When we were little, we used to put on Christmas dance performances in exchange for money from our parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents.
We would all take turns dancing in the middle of the lounge as our parents tossed money at us, usually coins at our feet – if you got a fiver, you felt as if you were destined for Juilliard.
As we got older, suddenly it became weird when we would hold Gran’s arm and guide her gently off her Zimmer frame and on to the couch so we could shake it for her and get those gold and silver coins. So yeah, we stopped that.
– Jess Watson
Rum rants
We, now adults, organise a time to sit around a table, drink rum and unload everything we had bottled up and disliked about one another that year.
