‘THEY CAN’T GET THEIR HEADS ROUND MINCE PIES’
Lisa Leport-Symonds, 46, spends Christmas on the beach in blazing sunshine. She emigrated to New Zealand from the UK 15 years ago with her husband Phill. They live in Whanganui with Elise, 12, and Lola, 10. Adopted daughter Nadine, 23, has moved back to the UK to study.
An Antipodean Christmas is all about being outdoors – and it occurs in the middle of our summer holidays. The kids finish school in the first week of December and don’t go back until February, and because we’re a country of small businesses, many bosses shut down for a month.
Although we occasionally come back to the UK to visit relatives, New Zealand is home for us, so we celebrate Christmas Kiwi-style. We maintain some British traditions, like the
