Christmas in This Country

We just got back from a week-long vacation in San Francisco.

The timing on that is kind of weird – leaving December 13 and returning December 19, but it was nice to get away all the same. Also, it was really very nice to come back, to realize that I am kind of behind on this whole Christmas thing. It’s now December 23 and I’m putting the finishing touches on some home-made gifts while living in squalor, my house is a filthy mess of wood chips, empty suitcases and dirty laundry.

San Francisco is a nice city. Saying that is like saying “I like weekends” or “chocolate is tasty.” Everyone knows San Francisco is nice. It has a big orange bridge (“International Red” I learned from the guidebooks), a bunch of hills, and good shopping. We were lucky enough to be visiting family – hubby’s half-sister and her hubby rent an apartment there for a month each year – and so accommodations were inexpensive and we had built-in tour guides. The backyard of their apartment featured two lemon trees – a meyer lemon and a regular (?) lemon – so we had fresh lemons whenever we wanted. I was blown away. Not only were there lemon trees, there were lemons in DECEMBER. I picked one that was almost the size of my head.

We wandered around town. We saw and went up Coit Tower, went to Pier 39 and checked out the sea lions (Feist running in our heads the whole time), ate chowder on the waterfront, shopped on Fillmore street and Union Square, poked around Japantown, drove across the bridge four times, went to Muir woods and Muir beach, Sonoma (a good somnolent word for this horribly boring town), Monterey – to the Aquarium, Salinas to see hubby’s amazing 91 year-old aunt and her little dog too, Ocean Beach, Cliff House and the amazingly un-barricaded Sutro bath ruins. We had a typical-for-us whirlwind vacation. Our hosts thought a week was too short but in fact it was long enough.

I was impressed by the palm trees (they get me every time!) and the surfers. We definitely do not have surfers here in December.

I have to say: I thought experiencing Christmas stuff in a warm place would be weird, but it’s not, really. Those people have some crazy spirit. Many of the houses are decorated, Christmas music blasts in every business and everyone wishes you a ‘happy holidays!’ well mostly everybody – not that crazy old bitch in Sonoma who got mad at me for my chair placement in the bakery (I’m sending a hex her way and hope she has a terrible Christmas full of personal tragedy and financial misfortune) – but generally Christmas spirit there is almost more intense than it is here. Palm trees with Christmas lights on them are funny to me.

Rosie stayed with my parents/her grandparents, and they had a blast. I think both parties were sad when it came to an end. We were so happy to get back and to see her; while we were away I had to touch every dog I saw, I missed her so much. We came back early Sunday morning to a freezing cold northern weather blast, a cold house, and a lot of laundry.

So now it is Christmas. I hope that you and yours have a wonderful holiday however/whatever you celebrate. As for me, I look forward to giving everyone my wee gifties and am planning to eat my own weight in Oma-food.

See you in the new year!