Christmas in Sydney - A Reflection!

It's different for me to spend time in Australia or any other country in the southern hemisphere during the Christmas season. Frankly, it's a tad bit odd to walk around during the onset of summer with all of the spark and energy that is characteristic of that warm season and know Christmas is knocking at my door back in the U.S. Somehow, the warm and tropical weather makes me feel like something other than Christmas is going on .... Yeah, I know I'm merely a product of my environment. I'm frequently reminded by friends and family members that Jesus, the religious epicenter of this holiday, was born in Bethlehem, and it seldom snows in that part of the world. That usually brings up the whole St. Nick story and the commercial discussion..... you know the rest of that story.

Never less, having spent most of my life living in cool to colder climates, I suppose I just grew to equate Christmas with snow and colder temperatures. The whole Los Angeles thing hasn't really resonated with me either. It's a bit warm here in the winter time. But at least it cools down at night and we get the occasional rain during the season making it a bit more wintry. (Can I admit that seeing all of the photos at Dickster's and Bowie Mike's blogs has made me a bit homesick?)

I'm sure I've been a victim of all of the commercialization as well. Years of television and media influences have convinced me that -

Christmas = Icicles, snow, and cold!

Not so in Sydney, Australia.

Christmas = shorts, tank tops, sandals, and swimming pools. It's the beginning of summer.

A Christmas tree in Darling Harbor. The center of social activity and a great place to stroll and people watch.

It was 75 degrees F.


But if it's Christmas, there's shopping to be done. And one of the big destinations for shoppers in Sydney is Paddy's Markets.

Lots of retail items for sale by a variety of vendors.


So many T-shirts for sale. I couldn't force myself to buy one. I need another T-shirt like I need another bear market. I'm guessing none of my friends or family members are longing for a shirt that says Sydney either. But I could be wrong.

Another shopping destination is the Queen Victoria Building. AKA, the QVB. The QVB is a late nineteenth century building designed by the architect George McRae and constructed in the central business district of Sydney, Australia.




A photo of the southern side of the QVB which opens to Bicentennial Plaza facing Sydney Town Hall.

The inside of the QVB.
In addition to retail shops, there are eateries and coffee shops.

Note the summer attire.

So the bottom line is this: Many people live in the Southern Hemisphere or in warm and tropical climates. For those that celebrate Christmas, it's quite normal for it to be nice and warm during the Holiday season.

But for me, I'll keep dreaming of a White Christmas and hoping for snow!

Christmas Time is Here! Prep and Landing!

A Charlie Brown Christmas on Blue Ray.... Isn't that exactly what you want in your stocking?

Don't get me started on the whole Blu Ray thing... but I am a big fan of " A Charlie Brown Christmas." I usually try to catch it every Christmas season.

It's special in it's own way.

I've been slowly catching up on my Christmas specials, including Charlie Brown, and tonight, I watched a new Christmas special - Prep & Landing.

Prep & Landing is a 30 minute animated story based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton. It first aired December 8, 2009 on ABC. I missed it then but I recorded it and just got around to watching it tonight. It was cute. It's about an elite unit of elves, Prep and Landing, who ensure that homes around the world are properly prepared to be visited by Santa. You can catch it again Thursday December 24, 2009 on ABC.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

The Polar Express

A very Merry Christmas to all my readers, friends, and family!

I appreciate your love and support and wish you the very best of the Holiday Season!

If you're looking for something to do today, I've found this Link: Christmas Around the World.

This site has links to Christmas recipes, jokes, activities, songs, history and more. I'm sure you can spend the rest of the year exploring these great Christmas links. So have fun.

Enjoy your Christmas!