Holidays

Halloween passed without a single jack-o-lantern, trick-or-treater or scary movie on TV. Other than seeing pumpkins in the grocery store, you'd have never guessed it was Halloween. Its very strange for me to not have those seasonal milestones. Its three days after Halloween and there are no turkey decorations to be found. The weather is warm and breezy. The trees are blooming. If I didnt have a calendar to help me keep track of time, Id never guess it was November.

It is also a little disconcerting to see Christmas decorations in the stores. On Christmas day, we will be in the middle of summer. Yet all of the Christmas decorations are very typical decorations. They have Christmas trees, snow flakes and Santa Claus on the wrapping paper. The Christmas cards even have winter scenes on them! And just in case you are wondering...the Christmas stuff started appearing in mid-October...just like in the US. So it seems universal to begin the season before necessary.

But I cant say I am sad about the early onset of Christmas. I LOVE Christmas Carols! So I love any excuse to listen to them. I cant wait until Thanksgiving like my Grandma does. I have to start listening to them the day after Halloween. Im interested to see the differences between a US Christmas and a South African Christmas.