Christmas in CA
It’s closing in on the final two weeks to Christmas, and I still don’t feel the holiday spirit. It was 64 degrees Fahrenheit (~20 degrees Celsius) today! There’s no snow. Heck, the grass on the hills south of 280 just finally turned green. We’re in California, what holiday spirit?
Living in California is like being an insomniac. You get loopy without a perceptible change in seasons. It’s always sunny – not that there’s anything wrong with that. But sometimes you’d just like to lay about the house and not have to close all to blinds to avoid feeling guilty about choosing to miss out on the sunshine. I’m such a Vancouverite – the temporary appearance of rain last week was cause for minor jubilation on my part at work:
Co-worker: Boy, it sure is coming down out there. I can’t believe the miserable weather we’re having!
Me: I know! Isn’t it fantastic?!?
Co-worker: ???
The really weird part about the impending arrival of Christmas in California is all the traditional imagery used to sell the season to shoppers. White Christmas? Are you kidding me? Eggnog lattes? Dude, those are meant to be spiked with rum, and their true purpose is to ward off frostbite. Take it from the son of a Scot, I know.
The pinnacle of this surreal experience has been the “Christmas in the Park” display in downtown San Jose. Picture this: a good acre of park covered in some kind of white mesh, surrounded by miniature displays of Santa’s elves throwing cotton-ball snowballs at each other, and other Christmas schtick. I feel sorry for the kids.
A Futurama fan such as yourself should realize the you are actually witnessing Xmas: a merger of Scandanavian legend with Biblical myth and just a teeny-tiny dollop of rabid consumerism.
I thought you are Irish…
As to whether I’m Irish, the answer is yes. And no. And yes!
While I am of Irish descent (County Cork on my mother’s side, two generations removed), I am not currently an Irish citizen. That said, I have applied for Irish citizenship through my wife, and I am awaiting the final paperwork to be completed. So, to re-iterate: yes, and no, and yes!