Christmas Spirit

Christmas morning 2010 - no frost or jumpers here!

The fairy lights are up, the Christmas songs are playing and we’ve er… febreezed the Christmas tree. Yes, although it’s survived a year in a humid storage cupboard with no mould or beasties taking up residence in its synthetic branches, it’s come into the house wearing a cloak of odorous damp. We’ve practically suffocated it with Petal Fresh and left in in the corner to think about its behaviour. If I’d thought ahead I could have probably found a Pine Paradise fragrance for authenticity.

Despite the smelly tree, unpacking the decorations has certainly unleashed a swirl of Christmas spirit in our home – something that’s been lacking until now. In the UK, Christmas starts to creep in around October, with a chill in the air and presents starting to pile up at the bottom of wardrobes. But in Bermuda it’s a different experience. There may be shiny baubles in the shops, but outside there is warm sunlight. And the town’s fairy lights are wrapped around palm trees!

After many years of relating Christmas to frosty mornings and jumpers, my Pavlovian response to the Christmas run-up in a warmer climate leaves me cold. It’s almost as if the lights and baubles across town are for another holiday – one which I’ve heard of but don’t really celebrate.

So I can’t wait to visit home in a few weeks’ time and overdose on Christmas spirit – hot chocolate, ice skating, and of course, plenty of frosty mornings and jumpers. It’s been two years since I last saw my breath cloud in the air as I exhaled and – strange as it sounds – I’ve missed it! Best of all though, we’ll get to see all our loved ones at their happiest – full of Christmas spirit (and Christmas spirits).