Christmas in July

As it's winter here now, Australians are reminded of all the Christmas traditions that the rest of the world gets to celebrate when its cold. So they started one of their own called "Christmas in July". Realizing there are relatively few merchandising opportunities in late summer Hallmark may have made this holiday up, I don't know, but, ready to embrace all that Australia has to offer I decided to celebrate it. As luck would have it, this was pretty easy. Walking home from the bottle shop one afternoon, my New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tucked under my arm, what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a Christmas Tree! Through the window of Hotel Indooroopilly I saw twinkling lights and shimmering ornaments decorating a real honest to goodness Christmas Tree! 

Now, this was before I knew about "Christmas in July", so at first I thought  - I am NEVER going to eat there, my God, if they can't be bothered to change their decor you know they can't be bothered to refill the toilet paper rolls! Then curiosity got the best of me and I stepped inside. "Oh, I'm so sorry ma'am this isn't a Bring Your Own Bottle establishment" (very common here by the way) we're full service."  I explained that I was just curious about the tree and before I knew it I had two red yo yo's tucked inside my purse, a new BFF and reservations for Sunday night's Santa Dinner! 

When I told the girls about "Christmas in July"  they made it pretty clear they were glad we moved to Australia. Then there was some impromptu dancing and carol singing.

Mike was traveling during all this festive holiday planning and didn't return until Christmas day. So when set off for the Santa Dinner, the girls grinning ear to ear, me humming Jingle Bells, I think Mike was just wondering what exactly went on while he was away that he could find himself in his present predicament. But we skipped the four blocks there on the imaginary wings of reindeer and entered the restaurant with expectations as high as kites. Santa! Santa! Santa! 

But something was wrong…….terribly wrong. The place was empty. There was absolutely no one there. I got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and Nola asked, "Mommy, where's Santa?" The tree that had stood tall and sparkling only days before was no where to be seen. "Table for four?" a very un-Christmasy waiter asked. 

"Um, I have reservations for the Santa dinner?" I squeaked, looking around for the hallway that would magically lead us to the North Pole . The waiter looked at me sadly and shook his head. He looked even more sadly at Nola and Rosie and said softly "the Santa Dinner, was, last night."

Is that Santa coming?!

In all fairness, if they want to celebrate Christmas in July, 6 months before December 25th, it's not completely crazy that I mess up dinner reservations by just one day. I was the most disappointed out of anyone in the family. Mike just said, "Yes, table for four, let's eat." The girls reassured me it was OK, that this wasn't really Christmas, it would still come in December. I knew I needed to buck up. So I tried, and almost succeeded, until I realized Kenny Roger's The Gambler was playing on a loop and would be the soundtrack for the evening. At least the food was good, and they even let the girls take a peek at the tree - sad empty undecorated tree that it had become. If Kenny Rogers taught me anything that night, it was that I knew it was time to walk away. Next July the only holiday I'm celebrating is Independence Day.

And my anniversary! July 31st Mike and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. Some of you reading this were at our wedding and may remember that one of the wedding vows I made to Mike was to "never have more than three dogs at a time".

Mike will be happy to tell you that I have kept this vow. In fact, we have lived for the past four years without any dogs. We had actually just made the decision to get another dog last fall, mere days before Mike got the job offer in Australia (coincidence? I am beginning to wonder…….) But then I learned Australia's quarantine for dogs is 6 months. In a kennel. Couldn't do it. 

Needless to say the girls and I were quite disappointed, but the thrill of new adventure helped eased our suffering. However, the thrill of new adventure can only carry you so far, and we've learned it can't carry you past wanting a dog. Nola and Rosie have developed a good coping strategy though. They remembered that we once had a dog, and in fact, he is still with us in spirt. And in a small gray urn. So in lieu of a new dog, they have taken to once again including Max in many of our family activities. Max snuggles on the couch with us for stories. He has dinner with us, he sleeps at the foot of Nola's bed, he even occasionally accompanies us on outings. I think this might be wearing on Mike's nerves, but the girls are just thrilled to have a dog, even if he is no longer able to fully participate in family life.

The girls particularly like to decorate his dog house, a.k.a., final resting place, or if you will, urn. I often come home and find him tucked into a doll's crib with a tiara or two on his lid, sometimes adorned with flowers, once even my hat. The other day there was some discussion over what color blanket he might prefer. Rosie was pretty adamant he wouldn't want a pink blanket, being a boy and all. But Nola pointed out that "he's deeeaaad Rosie, I don't think he'll mind!"

Nola reading Max a bedtime story. He's wearing his bedtime
necklace and she's wearing her Christmas nightgown.

All this has made me, I'll admit it, question my family's sanity, laugh out loud, occasionally tear up, and miss Max all the more. But it certainly illustrates how ready we are for another dog. So I have solemnly sworn to the girls that the first thing we'll do when we move back to Seattle is get a dog. Or even three!

We may not have a (real) family pet, but here is some real evidence that Australia has incorporated us into the fold; last week Mike got a speeding ticket and I got a parking ticket, and we have both been pulled over during random road block breath checks. Mike's was at 7:00 in the morning. I have actually had two, both at about 11:00 a.m. 

This is, after all, a country where you can buy a car called "The Saloon", or, if your car budget allows, "The Super Saloon". And the same country where most every bottle shop has a drive through, so I suppose it shouldn't surprise us that the police frequently organize random breath checks to make sure people are not driving under the influence. 

I think the random breath checks are a great idea, but when I mentioned to someone that perhaps they'd have more success holding them in the evening rather than the morning I was told, "Ah no, in the morning everyone is still drunk from the night before." I see. Last observation - they call it "drink driving" not "drunk driving". There is nothing passive about Australians.

This is a picture taken the afternoon of Rosie's school's Sports Carnival. I include it just so you can see how people protect themselves from the chilly winter weather. (It was 78 degrees that day!)

And this picture, taken at a park during a birthday party - see Nola? There she is in her tutu standing next to the child in a turtleneck and cardigan. It was 75 that day!

Finally, someone wanted to see pictures of the dog food, so here you go!

(Apologies for the sprawling layout - my tech support is traveling.)