Do They Know It's Christmas?

If by 'they' Band Aid meant 'Tim and Mary Byrne' the answer is a resounding NO this year! It's extremely bizarre to live somewhere warm after a lifetime of celebrating Christmas somewhere that has seasons.

I'm sure some if it has to do with not having a 'normal' work routine. Any other year we'd have been looking forward to 'Christmas Break'- taking off the time right before Christmas all the way through the New Year- and making plans for it. Any other year we'd have gone Christmas shopping at malls annoyingly packed with people. Any other year we would have gone to holiday parties, all dressed up and been SO sick of Christmas music by now. Any other year we'd be in St. Louis visiting with old friends before returning to Chicago to celebrate New Year's Eve with our friends. Any other year we'd have put up our tree, wrapped the presents and put them under it, decorated the condo and made Laddie wear the Santa hat she so dearly hates. Any other year we would have certainly shoveled a snowstorm or two by now.

This year we both work on Christmas- there are three cruise ships in so it's a busy day in St. Thomas. This year Christmas shopping was done almost entirely online or over the phone- I mean, do any of you really want something from K-Mart? Yeah, didn't think so. Besides, that place is annoyingly packed any day, any time, all the time. This year I've worked OTHER people's holiday parties and have heard very little Christmas music. This year we are spending the Christmas holidays away from our families and friends. This year we have no Christmas decorations because we really don't need to add to the items we are accumulating here and Laddie's santa hat is in storage. Our gifts sit on an end table under our bugzapper :) This year- snow? Right... This year is just kind of bizarre!

I'm not looking for sympathy because we really do love what we are doing. It's just that Christmas 100% snuck up on us because we didn't have our normal routines prepping us that it was coming. I'm guessing the other 'holidays' we celebrate (St. Patrick's Day, March Madness, etc) will hold the same kind of surprise!