Paul Hickey - Christmas tree sharing, festive weekend and summer health

Families enjoy fitness and bursts of colour at the Hamurana Flyer Colour Run. Photo / Supplied

OPINION

Have you got your Christmas tree up yet?

Apparently they should have been up by this Tuesday just gone, because that was officially Christmas Tree Day.

I've got no idea where that concept came from, but as the Hickey household tree was up I'm at least happy that we fell within the right timeframe, even though my wife Katie decorated our home a couple of days earlier than normal.

After sharing a picture of our tree on Tuesday night on The Hits Facebook page, I was delighted to see so many photos of other trees that are up around our local homes, all looking very festive indeed.

One of the repeated comments among the photos was about letting the kids decorate the tree.

And while for some parents that can be a frustrating exercise, it is also pretty special as you see the happiness and joy on their faces while they are doing it.

And after the year we've had in 2020, anything that brings smiles to anyone is worth embracing.

On the subject of smiling faces, it has been great to be part of a couple of events over the past few weeks where locals (and particularly our tamariki) have been able to have a bit of fun.

The Weetbix Kids Tryathlon was a hit again despite the weather, and then last weekend's Hamurana Flyer Colour Run was especially pleasing.

As Kaharoa School principal Warwick Moyle said to me, he felt for the kids in the early part of the year being forced to stay away from friends and the school community, but it was fantastic to see them out running, smiling and enjoying themselves.

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For me it is a bit of a festive weekend coming up, which is to be expected at this time of the year I suppose!

Tonight I'll be at Carols By Candlelight in Kuirau Park. It is always a fun night put together by Rotorua East Lions Club, so bring your blankets and chairs (and your candle!) and enjoy a bit of festive entertainment with singers, choirs and bands, starting at 7.30pm.

Then tomorrow The Hits Street Team will be hanging out with Santa at Rotorua Central, and we'll have the city's biggest Advent Calendar ready to open up once again.

Come and join us and you could be opening a door and taking home a really cool Christmas gift from Rotorua Central, as part of our "24 Gifts Of Christmas" giveaway.

Gifts include a 43-inch Smart TV from Smiths City and a $1000 men's or women's designer watch from Kings & Queens Jewellery & Accessories.

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Summertime is an amazing time of the year, and we tend to be a little bit footloose and carefree, right?

But in doing so, we can easily forget about some of the basics when it comes to looking after our own wellbeing. That is why I'm running The Hits Rotorua Summer Health Series on my radio shows next week.

Each day I'll be chatting to some local experts, discussing skincare, eye care, nutrition, haircare and mental health, which are important all year round but even more so in summertime.

Join me daily between 9am and 3pm to hear their thoughts and advice ahead of a busy Christmas and holiday period.

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Paul Hickey is the host of the locally based 9am-3pm show on The Hits Rotorua 97.5FM. Follow on Facebook The Hits Rotorua and on Twitter @paulhickeynz