Christmas in July...

...Or so it seems! It really is December and it really is 'that time of year....again'. Christmas. Normally for me'Tis the Season is full of all the winter wonderland, holidazzle goodness. You know how when you grow up with something or just experience it a certain way, you think that everyone else experiences it the same way. Like...Christmas. I mean, even back home there are plenty of places that celebrate a tropical Christmas, but growing up in Minnesota Christmas was always just as it is portrayed in the movies...feet of snow, sledding, wool socks, hot chocolate, snowmen. I'm telling you, it was the closest thing to 'Santa' and the North Pole. It NEVER crossed my mind, seriously (well, I KNEW it wasn't a snowglobe everywhere for Christmas...but) until this very year that on the other side of the world it might actually be SUMMER during Christmas. So my geography teacher was right...the Northern and Southern Hemispheres DO have opposite seasons. And a bunch of other differences. Crazy as it is, this year will be my very first Summer Christmas. BBQ's are in full swing and flip flops are everywhere. The school year is just finishing up and summer holiday is about to begin...it's weird. Because of all this it just doesn't actually feel like Christmas to me, which in turn is making it a lot less hard being away from home this year. Family means a lot to me & we're all very close so it's not easy missing out on seeing them for an entire year, especially during this time of the year. But, by having an out-of-sorts in every way Holiday, being away is just a wee bit easier! Enjoy the snow everyone...I'll be at the beach. :)

Wishing you all a very, very Merry Christmas...

Love,

Rachel