Greetings from Wellington where it’s shorts for Christmas.
Feels a bit odd when all of the branding for Christmas is Northern hemisphere-centric. But there is a world where Christmas is not about eggnog or snowmen. There is also a world where Christmas is not even a thing.
Jaime tells her friends that we don’t do Christmas, and they seem to resent that she gets things regularly through out the year. I think gifting shouldn’t be limited to just special days. I get more of a kick out of gifting, that I think we should do it all the time.
I love watching the excitement in her face early in November when she tells me that TommyInnit’s merch has just dropped and I replied casually “Ah yeah… I saw that this morning and ordered the hoodie and the T.” Her jaw dropped. It’s the buzz I get from seeing her expressions that keep me going.
It arrived a couple of days before Christmas. I didn’t tell her. Instead, on Christmas morning, before she woke up, I stuffed the hoodie with two pillows and sat it on her desk chair. I put the wooden headset stand that I figured she needed on her desk as part of her setup under the hood, and placed her headset on it. If I had a printer, I would’ve printed TommyInnit’s face to add to it.
I tell her I don’t want her to spend money on gifts that are short lived. So she always makes me something instead. This year she made a paper cut-out of a record player and printed a Spotify scannable code on it. The code linked to a playlist she called songs that remind me of us. It had Billie Eilish, Coldplay, and Minecraft songs. She added a photo of us as the cover of the playlist. She went through my camera roll on iCloud and realised that there were hardly any photos of us together. I don’t normally take selfies, but I do take a lot of photos of her. She has now started taking selfies of the two of us when we are out.
The past week has been eventful. Mostly in a great way, and one not so great. Lots to think about and ponder. I’ll leave you here with this week’s video.
Shortbread
I love a good shortbread. Not the store bought ones though. I find them dry and too sweet. I got this recipe from a friend. When her mother passed away a few years ago, they included this recipe at the back of the funeral service sheet. She was well known amongst her friends for her shortbread, and her shortbread legacy lives on!
I always double the recipe as a block of butter here in New Zealand is one pound. Also it is so moreish that I can’t just have one. You have been warned!
I always give some away too. My love for good food is for sharing. And thank you Marie for sharing your mum’s recipe 💕
See you next year!
"This year she made a paper cut-out of a record player and printed a Spotify scannable code on it. The code linked to a playlist she called songs that remind me of us."
🥹 This is the SWEETEST thing. How thoughtful!
Thank you for these lovely stories Laila. Jaime's present is so thoughtful - an emotional read.