Christmas feels different this year. Every year the university where I work closes down over the Christmas and New Year period, effectively giving us employees close to two weeks of holidays on top of our annual leave allocation. It’s quite good really but lest you think we’re getting something for nothing, we have this benefit in exchange for working a number of public holidays during the year. A case of minor suffering throughout the year while all your friends and family enjoy long weekends or the odd day off here and there, and delayed gratification for you, with enjoyment at the end of the year when you have a nice amount of time off where most people only have a couple of days off.
Christmas feels different this year because of the fact that we’re working all the way up until Friday 23 December. In previous years we’ve usually had a few days of the week prior to Christmas off as well, time to do that frenzied Christmas shopping and last minute whatever and get into the spirit of things. There’s not going to be much time for that this year. (I really dislike the consumer insanity that goes on at this time of year, but that’s another story.)
Also, I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but I seem to be a lot busier this year, with all sorts of meetings to attend and things to write up and training sessions to present. My schedule for next week is looking horrendous. (I’m really looking forward to the break – M and I don’t go back to work until 9 January!)
My parents are away, too, and won’t be back in town until a couple of days after Christmas. This is the first time I can think of that I won’t be celebrating Christmas with them. Still, despite their absence it’s looking like it’s going to be busy as usual with lots of people to catch up with.
And the weather is very strange at the moment. Usually at this time of year we have average temperatures of around 28˚ Celsius (~82˚ Fahrenheit), the skies are clear and blue, rain is a distant memory and you think of sitting around outdoors sipping something cold. Instead, for the past week or so it has been cool (around 18˚ C/65˚ F), the skies are grey and cloud filled, it rains every so often, and you wish you hadn’t packed all your winter gear away. It could still warm up in time for Christmas, though, although this morning (15˚C/59˚F at the moment!) the thought of a 40˚C/104˚ F Christmas day* seems like a fantasy.
*Christmas Day in Perth is often a scorcher, not ideal weather for eating turkey and drinking eggnog.
Categories: celebration, Christmas, culture
5 Comments
We’ve been having very strange weather in Melbourne too. It doesn’t even feel like summer, let alone Christmas. A friend of mine actually said today that it feels like Christmas in July. I think I kinda get what she means now.
Christmas in Perth is always too too hot. Especially if it has rained in the proceeding days. All that sitting around, eating baked meals, waiting desperately until after lunch to go to the beach. ugh.
And my parents wonder why I’m not super keen to go back at that time of year??
Miss L: That’s perfect – it does feel like Christmas in July!!!
Fiona: Yes it is usually horrific, especially when you have to drive all over the metropolitan area to visit farflung family and you stupidly picked chocolate as a gift for that aunt you have no idea what to give…
It’s so bizarre, the weather i mean. Sydney has been scorching! It’s seems all wrong, the east of Australia being hotter than the west – and i mean significantly so – weather must be changing. It’s so different from how i remember it ten or so years ago (say, from before i left for the UK).
It’s official – this has been the coolest beginning of summer in Perth in 40 years! See the ABC.