Happy Boxing Day!

Boxing Day is celebrated the day after Christmas, and is observed in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, hongKong, and countries in the Commonwealth of Nations. It was originally a day of gift giving, whereby the wealthy / landowners gives gifts to their tenants and servants. Today, Boxing Day has evolved in New Zealand to an after-Christmas shopping day, with many shops offering a lot of products on sale. And since most offices are closed, it is also a time for families and friends to get together.

We received a call from Glen this morning inviting us to join their family today for shopping and taking a ride out to one of the parks. We happily accepted and soon we were off to Kilbirnie for some shopping.

A lot of people were up and about, taking advantage of the specially-discounted prices. Many items were marked 20-60% off! There was a call for New Zealanders to spend in order to cushion the effect of recession and with the crowded shopping centers and parking lots, I believe they stepped up to the call.

After a couple of hours, we went off to a park in Upper Hutt for picnic. Others were spending the day in the area as well: joggers with their dogs, bikers, a family having a picnic by the river.





We also spent some time wading in the river. The kids loved it! As for me, I found the water a bit cold, but Jo-Lo enjoyed every bit. Other families were also in the area; a father and son tandem paddled slowly by in their kayaks. We had a fun time. Thanks Glen, Cory and family!