I find this time of year very hard in NZ. I hate the changing of the seasons, because even though this is a good change (from cold to warm), it just reminds me that they will change again. I hate having Thanksgiving and Christmas in the summer.  It means all the heavy food and fun comes at the good time of year, and winter is one long, unending trudge with no holidays between June and October. I hate how commercial Christmas is here.  It’s nothing but ads on TV for consumerism, and spend, spend, spend. And I really, really miss my family, and all my family traditions. As a Baha’i, I don’t put a huge emphasis on Christmas, but I do have a great deal of respect for the religious origins of the holiday, and for all the traditions that encourage creativity, and generosity, and  spending time with friends and family. My family was big on that kind of traditions.  We had gingerbread house making parties, and cookie decorating afternoons, and we made wreaths together. …