Silver Bells

5728!

Being in warm weather at Christmas is always a little jarring.  As a true Canadian, each winter I proudly dawn my toque (In Canada, toque, or tuque ( /ˈtuːk/), is the common name for a knit winter hat. The Canadian English term was assimilated from Canadian French tuque.)  pull on my Uggs and wrap up in a Christmas Story-like garb of coats, scarves and gloves to shovel snow, chip away at ice or try to locate my car in a series of snow drifts.  It's beautiful, it's cold, and it's Christmasy.  

Today I have the pleasure of enjoying the afternoon in Aruba, in weather that is less than winter-like.  It's 25 degrees Celcius, and I am sitting outside of a Starbucks sipping a passion iced tea wearing shorts and a tank top.  I am surrounded by Christmas decorations and images of Santa, but no matter what, it doesn't feel like Christmas.  Where's the chill in the air?  The strangers helping each other through slushy roads as their cars become lodged in unforgiving snow banks?  Where are the children making snow angels and pulling sleds up mountains of snow?  It just isn't right.

The ship is also decked out in it's Christmas finery.  It looks really nice actually, but again, mounds of cotton batting do not a winter wonderland make, so I have tried to be as festive as possible within my own cabin.  No, I have not purchased a snow machine to create an 'authentic' wonderland, but my decorating within the 7x9 cube is quite spectacular, and complete with a shipment of Mom's Christmas cookies, I'm ready for the 24th to arrive.

As nice as it is doing this job, sometimes I wish that for just 48 hours it would snow and create that chilled peace that is a Canadian Christmas.  (Remind me of this next year when I'm cursing the weather and crying to get back to a ship!)

For now, I guess I'll just have to endure the sun and sand, and enjoy my Target-bought winter wonderland that is cabin 5728.  I'll even wear my toque sometimes!