That’s a wrap!
Summer will forever be my favourite season.
Not just because it welcomes the Christmas holidays and seemingly never-ending celebrations, but because it’s the blueprint for what life in Canterbury is all about. Sunshine and ocean swims sprinkled between special moments with loved ones – this is the ‘Kiwi summer’ we so fiercely protect.
This issue channels that summer feeling, an opportunity for you to reminisce your childhood, and perhaps live it again vicariously through the children you see on your travels.
Most of my cherished memories are made during summer, and I think I’ll be spending the majority of my adult life trying to recreate them. From catching and eating fish fresh and jumping off every wharf I could find, to filling every spare day road-tripping the South Island to see family – I find nothing better than summer in Aotearoa.
The season sends our city into a frenzy of festive spirit, and I’m so glad it does. Smiles feel softer and people seem lighter, (perhaps because many don’t have work the next day).
In early December, I watched a grandmother shopping at The Christmas Hut in Papanui (on my one of many unashamed visits). Each grandchild could pick one decoration to take home for their tree, and it was a flurry of giggles as they gravitated towards one but then fell in love with another. Their grandmother watched a wonderful annual tradition unfold with delight. It was precious. These moments of pure, collective joy are what make the holidays so beautiful. Coupled, of course, with a curated Christmas movie watchlist (hello Home Alone, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and Love Actually).
What better film to remind us so poignantly that Christmas looks different for everyone than Richard Curtis’ Love Actually classic? It’s not a one-size-fits-all holiday, and, frankly, it can feel like a forced period of fake joy for many.
So give kindness and compassion to everyone around you this season: those who are celebrating alone, perhaps for the first time, or struggling to find joy in their situation.
To our loyal, cherished Metropol readers, thank you for your support and aroha over 2025. I hope your summer makes you smile, and leaves you with an appetite for life to welcome 2026 with. Meri Kirihimete.
Nina Tucker – Metropol Editor
