A California Christmas

It's not exactly snowy here in the bay area. The leaves are still falling...



Flowers are still in bloom...



Fruits are still ripening.


But our wintry spirit will not be deterred by this faux wintry weather. We will make gingerbread, even if we keep the dough in the fridge too long and have to thaw it in the 64 degree sun outside.




Guarding the gingerbread against cookie dough burglars.



We'll convert the courtyard into an enclosed, heated hall for Christmas Eve dinner.


Little sister cleaning obsessively (when she was 4 or 5, she asked for a broom for Christmas).


Imagine this with lights, space heaters, a big rug, and a candlelit food-laden table in the center. Too much? Maybe, but worth it.

We'll add to the stars in the sky. Aren't these beautiful?



We'll do outdoor yoga in little clothing in the backyard. I unfortunately don't have a picture of that, as I was upside down at the time. I'll continue to ponder my vegetarianism and why I'm somehow not bothered by eating fish. I'll go see "the Hobbit 2"--absolutely ridiculous--with a fellow Tolkien purist so we can list every little thing that's wrong with it (already working on an informative, if a bit rant-y, post on that subject). I'll see some dear friends visiting from near and far, make my Christmas sangria, henna my hair, get *something else* pierced, continue to try and do an unsupported forearm stand...

I could go on and on. Soon classes will be in session again, but until then, I'm trying to spend as little time as I can sleeping and as much time as I can doing things I love with the people I love. To-do outpaces done, and fortunately I thrive on to-do lists. Especially when the lists include things like "bake cookies" and "go on a hike" (aw, really? Do I have to?).

On a perhaps less cheery note: today, as I watched my mother write out her list of every obligatory present we had to buy for everyone we know, I felt the holiday spirit was a little lost. I found myself thinking how nice it would be if people didn't expect presents by a deadline. Nevertheless, until I decide if I want to try and convince our family to change the system, I'll abide by the current constructs. While I haven't the money to buy anyone Christmas presents this year, I'm doing my best to be super crafty and thoughtful and come up with costless gifts for my clan. I'm telling you, it's not easy being creative. Maybe I'll make everyone gingerbread cookies? In their likeness?



I also found some uberadorable fairy doors on Etsy. These made my heart flutter. At first I thought of getting them for my 10-year-old sister and said to myself, no, she's getting too old for that. Then I scolded myself for thinking such awful thoughts. *No one is ever too old to build fairy houses, Juliana*.



And happy Solstice, all. Now finally the sun will start hanging out with me more. Just what a summer child loves to hear.

xoxo
Juliana