Mijts Blog

Our first Christmas in Kokopo this year! Last year we went home to Australia for Christmas. Christmas is celebrated locally but for most locals this means being with family, going to Church, PERHAPS a special meal. There are a few decorations in the shops but no decorated houses like we see in Australia. The Trade Stores are a bit busier. Speaking to some of my National friends, I discovered that most of the PNG National children get no gifts, but sometimes the Priest at Church gives the children lollies – yet they love to celebrate the season in their own way.
We have gifts for our little family downstairs so decided we’d get a few decorations to create some more Christmas feeling for them. All we could get was a banner and some tinsel. We gave it to Stephanie, Chris and their children and this is what resulted.

Chris even had a drawing on paper for the tree design and they decorated our stairwell!

In the house I have had this little tree I made – counting down to Christmas.

It’s a wooden tree from Kaisercraft, covered in Scrapbook paper etc.

Along with the delicious smell of the 10 boiled fruit cakes I made this week (to give Nick’s staff and a couple of neighbours), these few decorations and the excitement of the children:
It’s Beginning to look a LITTLE bit like Christmas!!

Under our stairs there is always a laplap tied to the posts! Nick snapped these photos (with his new Iphone – Christmas present!!!) – during his lunch break yesterday.

If you look at this close-up you will notice a little bundle inside!

Kayline, who is two years old still has a sleep or two during the day and this is the coolest spot for her to have them. Stephanie started putting her in a ‘hammock’ under the stairs when she was only one year old. It is a bit of a tight fit for her now but she doesn’t seem to mind being squished into her little ‘day-bed’.

So Cute!!!