This is gonna be the thread where we talk about stuff

We have on occasion gotten a few trick or treaters; I always wanted to do it when i was young (free candy!) but Mum never let me, so good on those kids who managed to convince their parents i guess. The only time I've really celebrated halloween was a vaguely relevant dress up sleepover i had at my american friend's house, during which i ate so many candycorns i gave myself a stomach ache.

In Christchurch we do have a kind of americany christmas thing, though- Christmas lights. (i think it might have been started by a canadian couple actually, now that i think about it). One neighbourhood here goes absolutely bananas with Christmas lights, fully decking out their entire houses. Some even make treats and things to give away to the people who come by to look. It's really cool!

On a vaguely related note one cultural quirk i found really weird while i was in the Netherlands was that i got congratulated for my boyfriend's birthday while i was over there. "Congratulations" isn't quite the right translation (boyfriend explained it to me but i've forgotten now), but it was really strange to me! I mean, what do i have to do with it; is it because i allowed him to live for another year? :B