As most of you know if you have read my previous posts, my
hometown is 2,000 miles from the Midwest, so it’s easy to say that my Christmas
experience is quite different than most.
California is known for its warmth, beaches, and palm trees,
so when it comes to winter, there isn’t much of one. When I got home from the
airport for this Christmas break, it was about 65 degrees out at about 8:00 PM.
It looked more like fall than anything at my house because the leaves were
changing colors and it wasn’t too chilly. Let me take you through a typical day for me during this break:
Morning:
- Go for a nice run with my brother in shorts and a T-shirt (no sweatshirt needed here, folks)
- If I don’t go for a run, I’ll play some tennis outside with my friend Derek or go on a hike with my friend Melissa
- Eat some breakfast
- Get cleaned up
Afternoon:
- Hang with friends
- Play ping pong outside with my brother
- Be a couch-potato and watch TV
Evening:
- Eat dinner with the family
- Either go walking/exploring outside somewhere with friends or watch a movie
- Sleep and do the same thing the next day!
As you can tell, the weather doesn’t affect what I like to
do, which is really nice for now knowing that I won’t be able to walk outside
in shorts when I go back to school. Even though it seems as though I absolutely
love being in the warm during winter, I do dislike it at times. For instance, I
cannot go outside and make a snow angel, snowman, sled, go ice skating… like, ever. Also, the atmosphere is so different because here in California, you
don’t experience a shift in the seasons so it’s harder to get excited for the
holidays, but in the Midwest, the first snowfall symbolizes the change and
makes everyone in high spirits and excited for the Christmas season. Another
thing is that I’ve never experienced is a truly “white Christmas,” which is a
real bummer. On Christmas morning, my family and I simply hope for fog because
that’s the closest thing we get to snow.
Despite the fact that there are obvious upsides and
downsides to being in a warmer climate during this break, what really matters
to me is being with family and friends. I never get much of a chance to see my
family or friends over the course of the year, so it makes me treasure and
appreciate the time I have with them when I’m back at home. Now that we are all getting older, it’s
harder to anticipate when everybody is going to be home next because
internships, jobs, and other opportunities are always possible, but Christmas
is the only time during the year where it is a guarantee that I’ll be able to
see my loved ones, which is deeply important to me.
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.