December again - already!

December: the final month of the year. The end of the run! We made it! For me a month of white lights, frosty mornings, red candles, baking extravaganzas, present wrapping, choosing of Christmas cards, shopping and a hundred and one last minute tasks. A month of chilly starts, Christmas tree sellers under draughty railway bridges, bright red poinsettias on the window sill, shopping, visits to family and friends at home and abroad and, hopefully, some surprises! For my Australian friends I guess it's a month of beach barbeques, swimming pools, T-shirts and shorts and, on the down side, worries about bush fire alerts. Isn't our world strangely wonderful? Christmas pudding on the beach??

Here in the northern hemisphere we're on our way (dragged screaming and kicking, many of us) towards the thick of winter, desperately hoping to avoid the excesses of last year's snow and ice. There are some, I know, who are passionate about all that cold white stuff - I know there are a few of those eccentrics about and not all of them under ten years old - but I am not among them! In the south, the temperature is on the way up, the fire hazard warnings will be out, the sun is shining, the sea is warm and yet it's still Christmas! I never could get my head round that...

Of course, not all of us celebrate Christmas. I'm going to a 'Winter Fair' tomorrow, a title which acknowledges that fact. Living in a multi-cultural community, with neighbours from hundreds of different racial and cultural backgrounds there are no assumptions made. Not 'Christmas', just 'Winter'. But still the romantic associations are there - winter, ice, snowflakes, husky dogs, warm woollen sweaters and furry boots. It's that time of year and for me that includes Christmas! I'm a sucker for seasons. I'm so glad I live in a part of the world that has clearly defined seasons (even though current climate changes seem to have confused things for us a little lately). Actually, it's been a strange autumn, so mild, and I have roses, fuchsias and forsythia blooming in my garden at present, but I still know it's winter - and they shouldn't be! This time last year, in this same season, we were up to our ears in snow.

So to all of you who celebrate Christmas, I'm getting in early to wish you a happy one with as much peace and goodwill and as little hassle as possible! If you celebrate winter, I envy you (my passion is for summer!) but enjoy it. If you're heading into summer right now, enjoy! And for everyone alike, happy December! It's come round again!