This may have been our second Christmas in California but this year was our first warm Christmas Day. Last year, California clearly thought I needed to be eased in gently to the concept of heat and sun on Christmas Day. A huge wind and rainstorm hit knocking out phone lines and making sure we spent the day inside, opening presents and feeling cosy. With the turkey put on to cook, the weather forcing us to stay inside, it didn’t feel hugely different to the UK, just without the depressing EastEnders death scene and no Only Fools and Horses Christmas Special.
This year, the sun came out and with the weather in the mid 60s, it was impossible to think we were anywhere else but California. After opening presents and putting the turkey in the oven, we headed out on our bikes to ride along the boardwalk. We cycled by people wearing Santa hats and wished everyone Merry Christmas. We even took some Christmas music in our basket to play as we cruised along. It’s hard to take Bing Crosby crooning about a ‘White Christmas’ seriously when people are wearing shorts and flip-flops. There were loads of surfers in the water, more than a usual weekend morning and I liked the idea of a Christmas morning surf session, maybe we’ll add that to our traditions next year.
A good friend arrived for Christmas dinner at the end of the day and looked in bemusement as we waved crackers in his face to pull and really didn’t look comfortable wearing a paper crown during dinner. (Bah Humbug!) I won him over with my figgy pudding, especially setting light to it at the table.
Today it’s raining and for that I’m so grateful. We rarely have a day that keeps us indoors, just the opposite. We’re always outside, I think it’s that built in need to make use of the good weather. In the UK, you never know when the rain will come back. If there is a good day in December, you dash outside to sweep up leaves, enjoy the limited sunshine and make the most of it. Here it’s just the opposite, I love a good rainy day. They happen so rarely. Today we’re banished inside, packing away Christmas decorations, tidying up the chaos and enjoying the forced imprisonment. Tomorrow will be sunny, the New Year will be sunny, there’s no need to feel we’ll never get outside again.
We’ll be sitting on our patio celebrating New Year’s Eve tomorrow with our chiminea blazing. Last year, at midnight, some women wandered around the neighbourhood banging pots and pans and I’m intrigued to see if they’ll be doing that again. Couldn’t tell if that was a Californian tradition or just some locals who’d partaken of too much alcohol. This year I might join them and make that another tradition to add to our growing list.
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