And the theme is: Christmas!!!

It is almost November and I am counting the days like a five-year old, too giddy with excitement for the upcoming Christmas!

The parties, the vacation, the gifts, my parents coming over, the Christmas bonus (yay!) and the delicious food (Oh no! The food! Lol) makes my heart aflutter for Christmas.

For me and, I guess, for those who are kids at heart, the magic of the Christmas season is officially heralded by the Farmers Santa Parade! Do you know that this iconic parade has brought joy and excitement to the children of Auckland for 76 years? This Christmas extravaganza will feature colourful grand floats, lively marching bands, amazing character balloons, brand new floats, different colourful characters, A-list celebrities plus a special appearance by Santa Claus, of course!

This great family day out is free and will be on Sunday, 28th November 2010 (Rain Date: Sunday, 5th December 2010) at the Queen Street and Auckland CBD. Come and join over 250,000 or so spectators to welcome Santa and the joy of the Christmas season.

Another magical event that I look forward to is the Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park. Christmas in the Park is a musical festival of its own right for up and coming talents back to back with the country’s top singers, dancers, musicians, choirs and bands.

This 17th annual Coca-Cola musical extravaganza is held during the summer and Aucklanders come out in their flip-flops, tank tops, and sunglasses to enjoy the hottest bands at the Auckland Domain on Saturday 11th December 2010 at 7.30pm.

I believe Christmas is a really good season to celebrate and these free events are certainly one of life’s simple pleasures that makes me smile! I look forward to seeing you there!

Sources are Santa Parade and Christmas in the Park.

Photo credits to Martin Pettitt and joseidman1988.