Aloha Dabblers!

And a special 'hiiiiiii' to the lovely folks I chatted with at the Ōtautahi Pre-loved Clothing Market (and thanks again, Eileen and Lisa 🫶).
I was absolutely wiped out on Sunday evening (ha!), but it was a great experience and I do hope to do more markets next year. Some of the stallholders really had their systems and sh..tuff DOWN, I feel I need to up my game 😆 (made a few mental notes!)

Side quest: I have also been wanting to get into mural painting, so took the first step in watching some tutorials and then practicing free-flowy brush movements. I was about to chuck the paper in the recycling, when I realised I needed clothing labels- we love a double-duty moment!

🍕 Also a special shoutout to ✨Gussy's Pizza✨ and ✨Saucey Kiwis✨ doing a pizza collab for the final Vegan Night Mākete of the year on Saturday- it was freakin' phenomenal 🤤
​*telepathetically encouraging them to offer a vegan menu option 🤞*​
​NB: Gussy's are currently tucked into Hide nightclub on St Asaph St (Thu-Sun), plus some Sundee pop-ups out 'n about. They're closed in Jan and will be opening up their own spot in Feb- how excite!
Thisssss is exactly what we're all about - people turning their passions into cash(ions?), so will hopefully catch up with them soon!

We've got way less events this week, as you'll surely be work-do'd and singalong-carol'd out by the end of the week 😮‍💨 (unless you're the absolute fruitcake who is energised by all this, and ready for round 3 of "Festive Hits Vol.5"...?!)
Good luck out there!

C.x ✨

Friday 19th December

🚵 3-Day Beginner to Bikepacker Course (19-21Dec, Jan and Apr dates also available) Get out of the city for a bit, everyone else can fend for themselves.​
​https://adventurefuel.org/bikepacking-course/​

🕺 Friday Flow - Embodied Dance
​Love this bit so much "Bring whatever it is you're carrying, use movement as a tool to give your inner world expression. You are held with grounded facilitation to invite you to come back to your body" 💛
​https://www.facebook.com/events/2402831356840087/2402838066839416​

Saturday 20th December

🧶 Ōtautahi Crafters Christmas Market (Sat & Sun) Get some last-minute gifts (for yourself) and support local makers 🥰​
​https://www.facebook.com/events/24602732996001276​

Sunday 21st December

🎁 Gatherings Christmas Market "A sunny afternoon of local makers, live tunes, drinks, and festive fun spilling through Gatherings and our brand-new bar Kisi"​
​https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/gatherings-christmas-market/christchurch​

🚣 Community Paddle on the Styx (BYO paddleable transport + picnic lunch. All levels welcome, but you do need some watery experience)​
​https://www.facebook.com/events/1319162639894447​

Monday 22nd December

🍰 Rest day. Prep trifle. Watch Die Hard or Love Actually, your call.

Tuesday 23rd December

🍰 Make more trifle, because you ate it while watching movies...

​
​Fire through your upcoming events here!

Get the full picture at MetService​

Although you will (ideally) need to put on pants and leave the house for this (take snacks, avoid main roads), it seems like a good time to squirrel away at this task - digitising your visual, analogue mementos (photos/negatives/casettes/floppies etc). Right before accumulating another wave of (hopefully already digital) 'keepsakes' (that we'll never look at again)...

✨Tūranga✨ have a media conversion station that you can book self-service sessions, and intro "learn how to use this" lessons every 1st Wed and every 3rd Sun... In saying that, we've already had the 1st Wed, and the 3rd Sun is this weekend, you might wanna book your spot ASAP (there's only 4 left currently), if you want to get stuck into this fairly thankless (but definitely worthwhile) task 🎞

(Then you can actually grab the mince tarts and reminisce!)

Word Jumble: (hint: related to the events above, answers at the bottom of the newsletter)

CKIRBAEPRK

NTAGRSIHEG

🚲 Waimakariri Bike Project Host workshops on Wed nights (6pm-8pm) to get/keep your wheels in order (free of charge, too!), and they also donate bikes to the community, which is freakin' rad. So if you have time/money/bike bits you'd like to (permanently) lend, they'd be super grateful, especially at this time of year 💛

💌 A personal memo: ​
It's *just* occurred to me that next Wed is Xmas eve, so this is kinda it for the year (hol(l)y heck, it really did sneak up, hey?!)...
​So on that note, I'd like to say a humungous THANK YOU for being here.

I started this project mid-year-ish, as a way to find out about cool stuff to try in our community (just wanna do aaaalllll the things, right?!), and to give us permission to PLAY and call in JOY again (after hearing so many people saying they felt like they've gotten stuck in stale, "responsible" adulting loops).

I have SO many ideas (I know you feel me on this 🤭) for this newsletter, and the toughest bit has been keeping blinkers-on focussed, without flitting off and new-logo-creating/webpage tweaking/merch-line-dreaming... and actually just practicing writing and curating (which, it turns out, I really enjoy) out loud and acknowledging doing it badly for a bit.
I promised myself I would give it until the end of the year, before even thinking about dropping it (I know you feel me on this, too... everything's sah shiny!).
To prove to myself that I could. For experience.
And that's what this whole dang 'living' thing is really all about. Trying new things and being a terrible beginner- to experience.
People, places, things, feelings.
To move towards the "more preferable" (and away from the "less preferable", obvs). That's it. The whole pickle.

At the same time, on a bit more granular level, this newsletter is yours.
So I have 2 roolly big chicken favours (and 1 suggestion) to ask you...

1. What do you want more of (or less of) hitting your eyeballs, next year?

I know that's broad, but if it's hobby-related (and CHC-related), it counts.
Reply and let me know, I read everything (unread notification, don't know her).​
Wanna know how to 'make time' for new hobbies, or how to decide what to pick? Or how to turn that into a business? Or how to become more interested/interesting (hint; it’s hobbies…)?

2. If you’ve enjoyed hanging out here on a Wensdee lunchtime (I mean, you’re still reading this, you can unsub if you want 🤷)- who’s your bestie that you excitedly voice note immediately after you’ve tried something new (or maybe they were with you)? Could you share this newsletter with them? 💖

3. And my suggestion, as we wind down into the void, is to take a pocket of time and reflect on;
- new things you've tried this year (and ideally, celebrate being terrible at it!),
- what lessons/practices/beliefs you will carry with you into 2026, and what are you choosing to leave behind?
- the rad people you've met this year
- what are you excited to be terrible at next year?

💝

​
​Here are your quick links:​
👋 Share your community event [free]​​​​
🤝 Share your business or something for sale [paid]​​​​
🤘 Share your current hobby-obsession [free]​​
​🫶 If someone rad sent this to you and you wanna sign up for yourself [free]

Now go and play (and rest).
Stay dry this week, look after yourself next week, catch you in a coupley weeks ✨

Sending so much love. Thank you again 🌻

C.x​
​Publisher, The Dabbling​
​Ōtautahi’s Unofficial Hobby-Hypewoman

Fun answers:

BIKEPACKER

GATHERINGS