Warm Christmas still a bit weird

Front yard at our house in N Illinois where we lived for 6 years

Since I grew up in the N hemisphere (Chicago area)

traditional Christmas for me is on a cold,

mid winters day, dark at 5pm and often snowy.

Lights on homes, business and trees across Chicagoland

do help give everyone a festive feeling.

Santa from a cold, north pole riding in a sleigh

pulled by reindeer...

sort of makes sense on a cold Christmas.

But Santa on the beach in NZ? Not so much...

I love the warm weather down here in Auckland...

but it does make it bit harder to get in a festive,

Christmas mood... in summertime.

Alas, presents I got cheered me up quite nicely though...

so yes I did have a merry merry Christmas.

Guess this is my last post for 2009... if you are reading this,

I wish you a very Happy New Year and joyful tidings for 2010...

Cheers from down under :-)

Back yard in December (= summertime!) at our Auckland house