- pilgrim, where's your head at ; are you payin' the birds to sing -

...it's Christmas?

Or will be soon; I think the lack of snow is throwing my holiday radar for a loop. As did celebrating Christmas in November during my mom's visit... I even had a little tree to decorate; my first year without a real tree. I miss it - perhaps not environmentally sound, despite that they're farmed, but Christmas in my headspace needs a real tree - the smell of spruce, the needles everywhere, the month when it's the centre of the house.

...it sounds utopian. And maybe it was; maybe it wasn't.

Still, the trees and stations have all been lit up in my corner of Japan, which is a nice touch; as the days grow ever shorter, the light is a touch of brilliance.

Regardless of twinkling lights, it was surreal to hear the same terrible arrangement of Christmas carols I remember from days of working in a mall today (and I heard those so many times that I could still probably sing them in the same off-key warble.) But hearing some of my students sing bits of Christmas carols is... endearing. I'm a great sap. And need a lesson plan for tomorrow!

...a poor sap, by the end of this month; parties and presents and holidays all call. And (provided no adventures like those of my Kyoto trip transpire) - off to Hong Kong for four days in just over a week! It'll be a good change of pace and scenery; now to plan what to do.

Not that I think it's done there, but no shark swimming! I heard enough scary shark stories tonight to scare me off of that for a good while. Adrenaline's one thing, but I happen to like my limbs. ^_~