white christmas

❄ wow! its december already.... and the season to be jolly...tra-la la-la la la-la la la....
all the christmas decorations are hanging precariously from the power lines above all the main roads of marbella. we watched (in wonderment) as the council guys hung them from up in the cherry-picker, taking absolutely no work-safety precautions to avoid dropping them on cars passing underneath. this is spain after all.

i love december's vibe. although its not quite as warm and fuzzy, being so far away from home and family (and summer).... this will be my first white christmas!! i had a flashback today of the first time i ever saw snow falling and it was such an emotive memory that i have to share it! i was au-pairing with the italian family in milan, and one cold december evening i was taking nausicaa (the little girl), to her ballet class.

in our matching white fluffy jackets, scarves and gloves, we ran hand in hand, through the lit-up piazza, towards the tram stop. the florist at the flower stall in the piazza, (who was always giving me roses and asking me out for coffee), was packing up for the evening. he called out 'buonasera!' to me, through the other people rushing past, holding shopping bags full of christmas presents. as we crossed the paved street, i looked up and saw the tiny snow flakes floating down to melt onto my face. nausicaa and i turned and looked at each other with huge smiles, 'che bello!' ... i was so delighted, i felt like i was her age again.

this year i'll be working on christmas and ill miss all my family christmas traditions; the thrill of the present exchange despite the horrific hangover, wearing the new christmas outfit, getting it wet in the water fights with the cousins, sting-pong (WAY better than ping-pong), the excitement of finding one of the good luck coins in the christmas pudding (or the extreme annoyance of not finding one)...

this year ill have to say my 'bah humbugs' over skype and hopefully ill make lots of tips at work. a white christmas better be all its jacked up to be.