Christmas creep: The silly season now starts in spring
Opinion columnist Lyall Macfarlane has been shocked to see Christmas decorations start appearing - what do you think?
“Christmas comes but once a year.” But based on recent experience, the festival takes up about a quarter of it.
I saw my first Christmas retail displays last week – 3 of them, in early October.
A couple of days ago, my local mall’s walkways were festooned with trestle tables groaning under the weight of Yuletide novelty goods. You know the thing – archangels, elves, Christmas trees and Father Christmases/Santas in various poses. Some jolly old gents were capable of doing a wee jig while ho, ho, hoing or singing a jolly old festive ditty, far too early.
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Bakery rave trend comes to Hamilton
An early-morning bakery rave, complete with DJs, dancing, coffee and pastries, is set to take over Riverbank Lane this Saturday.
Rudi’s Bakehouse is swapping bright lights for the Hamilton sunrise and alcohol for espresso as it hosts what it believes to be one of the city’s first “bakery raves”.
Get up to $30,000 back* with your new home
Sign up to an independent apartment or townhouse at a participating Ryman village by 31 March 2026 and receive a $30,000 credit on settlement or sign up to a serviced apartment and receive a $10,000 credit on settlement*.
Imagine a new smart TV, your next getaway or furniture for your new home. With more money staying in your pocket, it’s yours to spend!
Discover the lifestyle that awaits.
*Participating villages only, Terms and conditions apply.
Loading…
