Merry Christmas 2019

It’s Christmas Day 2019 here in New Zealand, and, as usual, I’m spending the day with family. This is also the first Christmas I’m spending without Nigel. I have no idea how I’ll feel on Christmas Day without Nigel, so I’m writing this in advance and setting it to post automatically on the day, just in case I don’t feel up to it.

Last year I said something that turned out to be especially good advice:

As I say every year, I’d like to send holiday greetings to all my whānau, friends, and friends I haven’t made yet. Everyday is what you make it, but that’s especially true for holidays. I won’t waste it, and hope you won’t, either. [emphasis added]

The best Christmas gifts we can give anyone we love is to make sure they know we love them and to spend time with them. Nigel and I did that for each other, not just on Christmas, but every day. That was our real gift to each other.

I truly hope you have a magical day, filled with love and laughter.

Merry Christmas!

I took the photo above in December 2016 at Birkenhead Wharf. I suppose I’ll need to find a new photo for next year.

Some AmeriNZ Blog trivia: My 2018 Christmas post was post number 352 for that year. This one is post number 257 for 2019. That’s just concrete evidence of how awful this year has been for me.