Christmas here in Australia (OZ) is nothing like Christmas in Sweden,
where I originally come from.
I guess one could say it is almost the opposite, well, weather wise at least.
I am perched on the edge of my seat as I am writing this,
because you see, Christmases here means thunderstorms,
incredible electric-storms, as in lightning-shows that makes one
wanna join the cat and go and hide under the bed, and rain that whips the
windows and everything else as if we were living in the days
of Noah.
The heat is stifling, draining, and we are told at a 100% humidity,
which begs the question: Are we actually under water???
I mean, a 100%? Does that not mean water?
Funny, water is. In Stockholm the water becomes snow, as in a solid,
but here, it becomes a mist, a liquid, and at times.....
a ''wall'' of water that will find a way into your abode.
Snow, .....white, solid, glistening, quietly staying on top of whatever it
falls on, .... tropical thunderstorms, cyclones, and hurricanes,....
not so much, they tend to re-arrange everything in its way.
You know the song ''White Christmas''?
It starts: ''I'm dreaming of a White Christmas..'', well, right now,
with beads of sweat trickling down my neck,
I could do with a bit of that.
Although I have lived here in OZ far longer than I lived in Sweden,
I still find it hard to get into the Christmas spirit while
the thermometer sits on 36 degrees cel.
and Mother Nature reminds me of
who really is the boss of me.
Alas, even so, I will celebrate Christmas with my family. We will have the
aircon on full bore, eat Christmas food,
exchange presents, and have tinkling lights
in our man-made Christmas tree.
We will light candles, and remember our family members
still over there, and hope that they will have a lovely
white Christmas, good food, and a
great time together.
I know, that for some of us Christmas can be a very difficult time,
and this for a myriad of reasons, but ....
putting on my rose-coloured glasses,
I believe that it can also be a time for reconciliation, forgiveness,
healing, hope, making new friends, getting in touch with
old friends, getting in touch with people we have lost
contact with, and putting love first.
For me, Christmas is foremost about love and kindness,
about sharing quality time together with others,
whether they be people we have known for a
lifetime or met just a few minutes ago.
And this we can do, whether we are sweltering away in a heatwave
or shivering in a snow blizzard,
in the middle of the desert or in the middle of an ocean,
in our own homes or in someone else's,
together with old friends,
or with strangers yet to become friends.
Merry Christmas and a Happy Bonzai New Year, dear reader,
and thanks for reading my blog.
Citizen Z
ps: Bonza, is a play on words, it's an Australian word for Excellent.
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