Whether you were at the lake, at church, or sitting down to a meal with total strangers, the Christmas spirit was alive and well around Otago and Southland yesterday.
Hundreds of people gathered for community Christmas lunches, such as in Invercargill, where the tables were set for 200 revellers.
About 40 volunteers helped with the Christmas event at the Invercargill Bridge Club, which was co-organised by Linzi Turner and Invercargill deputy mayor Toni Biddle.
Mrs Biddle said the event was an opportunity for people who might not have had the opportunity otherwise to celebrate Christmas Day together.
Volunteer Raywin MacHattie said she thought the event was about sharing, "and not just about kai, but sharing the community spirit where possible ... we feel very privileged to come and spend time here".
Further north, Oamaru’s Orwell St Church continued its tradition of staging a community lunch, which attracted about 120 people of all ages and from all walks of life.
One of those was Evelyn Dove, of Oamaru, who was at the lunch for the second time.
"They are absolutely wonderful and the volunteers do a marvellous job. They put aside their own lives to come and help out people and I think that’s the Christmas spirit, isn’t it?"
In Alexandra, a gloomy day did not stop the cheer for about 100 revellers at the Alexandra Community Christmas Day Barbecue Lunch.
St Enoch’s parish minister the Rev Andrew Howley said the gathering attracted three main groups of people — seasonal workers, residents who live on their own and families who would struggle to do Christmas on their own.
"Some people are celebrating Christmas for the first time ... Kiwi style."
Earnscleugh fruit pickers Javiera Dapniho, Maureen Fierro, Andrea Muller and Carlos Salame sat at an outdoor picnic table for the barbecue.
Mr Salame, from Chile, said it was a "special Christmas" this year.
"It is the first where we’re not with our families, but we can share it with other people."
Meanwhile, Queenstown continued a tradition of its own, with the annual, informal, "Orphans Christmas" on Queenstown Beach.
By 3pm the beach was starting to fill up with residents and tourists determined to enjoy the day Queenstown-style.
Among them was a group of friends who live in the resort, but hail from all over the world.
Garth Brennan, originally from Ireland, said given all the pubs in town were closed, the friends decided to join in the fun at the waterfront where the atmosphere was good "and the lake is so warm".
Doubling down on the celebrations was Paul Gowman, originally from Newcastle, United Kingdom, who was also celebrating his birthday yesterday.
Over the hill in Wanaka, picnickers Trish and David Farr, of Timaru, their daughter Angela and grandchildren Charlie (6) Georgia (9) Black, of Auckland, enjoyed Christmas lunch at Eely Point, although the cool breeze made it too cold to swim.
