It’s 55 degrees and sunny here in Tucson on Christmas day. And while I love the sun, love the warmth, love the feel of the breeze on my bare arms, it doesn’t feel like Christmas to me, even though I’ve sent out my holiday packages (well, some of them. Okay, a few of them) and a few nights ago we visited the Winterhaven Lights Festival, where hundreds of houses outdid themselves with such an obscene amount of lights and outlandish decorations that it was truly mind-boggling.
I suppose because I’ve lived most of my life in northern climates, I’ve always associated Christmas with winter and snow, mittens and heavy socks and the smell of cookies warming the house.
Yet, hiking and running for hours over desert trails each day isn’t exactly a bad way to spend the holidays. In fact, it’s actually kind of nice. Okay, I’ll admit it–it’s a bit spectacular and I feel fortunate and lucky as hell that I get to experience such joy.
So wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, I hope you’re surrounding yourself with the warmth and joy of your own holiday traditions. ( And please eat a few cookies for me. I didn’t make any this year and miss the buzz of the sugar rush.)
Cinthia Ritchie 
Merry Christmas Cinthia! I’m en route to the desert right now (Santa Fe) and am so looking forward to some sunshine!! (!!!!!!) I’ve learned how to cope with the absence of traditional winter, but you’re right, it still feels a little bit like I’m in a strange dream.
I wonder what Christmas in the southern hemisphere is like, you know, in the heat of summer with extra long days. I bet their July is super depressing without twinkling holiday lights to lift spirits.
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Karen: Merry Christmas to you, too! And we are both in the desert–how cool is that? Or should I say, how cool are we? And I have internet again. Life is just too good. Think of me when you’re running desert trails and I’ll think of you, too, and maybe we will somehow cross paths in our minds, okay? Cheers and have fun.
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Merry Christmas to you, Cinthia! I love reading your posts. I’m vibing on a brilliantly excellent new year for us all ~
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Oh, you too, my dear. Hope you are well and happy and just vibing like crazy, because you totally deserve it. Cheers, take care and I’m sending a huge holiday hug your way.
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Late to the party but love your photographs! If you’re running, what kind of camera do you use? Or is someone else (not running) shooting the pictures? I grew up in northern New York and even though I haven’t lived there for over 30 years, I still miss the snow and cold and the smell of evergreen and the taste of hot cocoa after hours of playing in the snow. And here in Florida, it’s raining and warm. Yuk! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and will have an even better New Year!
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Oh, if you miss the cold and the snow, you can come up to Alaska anytime and get your fill. In fact, you can have my fill. I’m tired of it all, though I suppose I would miss it if I ever permanently moved. Or, better yet, we could do a house swap: You and hubby could play in the snow and me and my partner could enjoy the Florida rain, hee, hee. Hope you had a great holiday, too.
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lol … that’s kind of a great idea, except my husband probably wouldn’t go for it 😉 We finally have cold temps now (never snow) so at least I can wear my knitted woolies. You would miss Alaska if you permanently moved, but, yeah, I can totally understand having cold and snow fatigue and the short days! Winter days in New York and San Francisco (same latitude) were short enough!
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