2000 Miles

"2000 miles is very far through the snow... I'll think of you wherever you go...."

Actually, 2000 miles is not really that far....

After my lesson this morning I dutifully came straight home, busted out the iPod Christmas music list, hauled boxes, and put together a gigantic Christmas tree. Sigh. Yes- that tree. D's first Christmas was not so great. We just moved home from the hospital and I was in a HORRENDOUS mood (read: you'd get your head bit off for even nodding or smiling in my direction) and I REFUSED to celebrate Christmas. Then both J and I felt guilty and even though D was a baby we wanted to do something, so J went in the backyard and chopped down a mini tree (this was in Norway, people) and I unpacked some decorations. The following year we were in Scotland and I felt so bad that my poor baby had missed a proper first Christmas that we sort of, um overcompensated with a 7ft fake tree and a whole load of Christmas knicknacks. And our collection seems to keep on growing! Today I uncovered a good 50% of it- a lot is still missing- but even so our house does indeed look like Christmas puked on it.

And I find it really hard to get in the "spirit."

It's possibly because yesterday when I bought the playroom tree I also bought two water guns for the pool which the boys have been asking for.

It's possibly because I find it weird to crank up the AC to keep me from sweating as I haul boxes of decorations from the third floor to the first.

It's possibly because I find it perverse here that everyone here seems to go ape shit over Christmas, almost to the point it seems unreal. I'm a Californian, for God's sake! Give me some good old controversy! Write to the school board and say you want "Winter holidays" not "Christmas vacation." Say you don't want to say the pledge because it mentions God. Plead for equal holiday rights for Chanukah or Kwanzaa. Something! It's too weird here- the Malay women working in the shops who keep their heads covered wear Santa hats over their veils. The lines at Toys R Us are out the door with people of every kind of religion- except Christian.

Christmas seems to be a sport here.

Anyway, I keep repeating "2000 miles" by the Pretenders from my playlist. I am glad the boys will be able to enjoy the decorations, but secretly I am just as happy to hop on that jet to Bali in 2 weeks....

Happy Holidays!!