Friday, December 16, 2005

Random Thoughts About Christmas

There are only two things I need for Christmas. Either my family or snow - preferably both. So I don't mind going overseas, to a hot destination, at Christmas so long as I am with my family. But I will admit to having felt slightly strange spending Christmas 1999 in Koriyama with no snow. I remember it as an odd experience. How do people in Australia do it year after year?

Christmas is very understated in Japan. Something I knew acutely about because of my time in Koriyama. Everyone is gearing up for a weeks worth of activities at New Years. I do keep hearing the same God-forsaken Mariah Carrie Christmas song everywere. Something I moved to distinctly get away from.

My parents of off to Jasper Park Lodge for the weekend. I very nice spot to spend some time around Christmas. I hope they have fun.

All week about a meter (or more) has fallen on the west coast of Hokkaido. It has not really affected us here in Shiakoi at all, being situated inland and further east. Today, however, the sky seems set on a reversal of these fortunes. By midnight the sky is set to drop 30cm of the fluffy white stuff. I personally think 30cm is a bit alarming; if that much was dropped in Alberta on a regular basis we'd all be in a panic. Here, however, people all take it in their stride. So while travel plans are normally curtailed while the snow is falling. Everything will be put back in order by the middle or so of next week. It's not really storming, there's not any wind. Which causes the light fluffy snow to fall unhurriedly to the ground. So my final thought for this post is that it looks very Christmasy outside today.

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