Christmas is a'comin'..... Things are a bit different around here as the preparations for Christmas are in full swing. Christmas does not seem quite so over-the-top here. I was noticing today that although there is definitely more traffic, more customers at the stores, longer store hours, and Christmas decorations around town, there does not seem to be the all encompassing feel of Christmas. There are no Christmas songs on the radio, very few being played in the stores... there are almost no Christmas lights on people's houses although they do seem to have decorations inside.... there are minimal Christmas programs at schools... there are no Christmas gifts for the teachers at school.... no Christmas gifts for everyone that has ever done anything for you, i.e. the mailman, paperboy, etc.... and, there do not seem to be all the Holiday parties among neighbors and friends. Maybe they are just not inviting us but I think that they just don't do all of that..... So, at times, I feel quite grateful for the less pressure, less crazy Christmas environment but at other times, it makes me a little homesick.... Just when I was feeling a little homesick this morning, I went to my biking group... Today, the group met at Ghislaine's house. She is a woman who lived in Wisconsin for 3 years, several years back.... She likes to think of herself as part American... I pulled up to her house to find wreaths hanging everywhere, a big ole' American Christmas tree, mistletoe, Christmas carols and stockings! She even had a big snow village complete with a "Starbucks Coffee"!!! Sure made me feel good! We are very excited to be leaving on Saturday to be in the States for the next 2 weeks. It will be fun to see our family and friends again and to celebrate Christmas American-style. Our kids did play with their cousins all weekend though via the beauty of Skype technology and webcams! Calvin even played checkers with his cousin Penny today on the webcam since Penny had a snow day and was home from school.
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