My internal clock stopped somewhere in mid-October. The weather here turned to "early Autumn" and lingered there. Christmas Eve felt more like a March afternoon than December. We try and convince ourselves that scraping frost off the car windshield counts as winter weather. It is a tough argument when it hasn't kept me from playing outdoor tennis every Saturday.
On the other hand, there are more houses with ostentatious Christmas displays out here than I saw in Ohio. On our morning walk, we pass multiple houses with animatronic, music-making blinking displays of ghastly tackiness. I should probably go take pictures and video to post here. Static pictures would not capture the full mind-bending incongruity of a traditional nativity scene being serenaded by an inflatable Santa-led jazz band.... or a two story house enshrouded by a galaxy of lights which blink in time (almost, kinda, sorta) to the blared Muzak carols.
I can't tell if such displays are a compensation for the lack of snow or simply reflects that it is easier to do external decorating in balmy conditions. We found ourselves listening to more Christmas music to try and make ourselves more in the holiday spirit... only to re-discover how awful a lot of it is, particularly one effort to sing about "Christmas in San Francisco" that rivals Vogon poetry in its auditory experience.
Kelly and I have been trying to import, re-mix and invent new traditions. We went and cut down a tree (as usual), though it was 67° and on the side of a mountain. There was no Irish Bread party, though bread was made and passed liberally around to broad acclaim. We haven't quite acquired enough extra-curricular friends to make a party not feel like a company event. We sat under the tree and exchanged presents, before making pancakes... followed later by a spectacular holiday feast that Kelly prepared.
I don't have much to add here. I know I have gone "dark" for a while and wanted to let all and sundry that I am alive and well. There are few deeper thoughts percolating in my brain, but work has kept them from steeping into a full post.
Update:
For your viewing pleasure, here is a picture of the Bethlehem Boogie group.
Once more with music
