It's that time of year when everything's finishing up. School's finished for another year, work Christmas parties, kids are beginning the transition from primary to high school - or is it??
One of the things which is really striking us at the moment is what a difference being in the northern hemisphere makes to the way you view December and Christmas. While our southern hemisphere friends are rushing about madly doing having their school parties and farewells and Christmas functions and looking forward to a long summer holiday - we're not. I'll be working on Christmas eve and will start again after a few days break - back to normal.
We have the Christmas stuff - although here it all happens on the night of Christmas Eve, but we don't have the associated feeling of 'the year is ending' - because its not!. We get 2 weeks school holiday (after an 18 week term!), and then the year continues as normal. It really puts quite a different spin on Christmas.
(Of course long term northern hemisphere readers are thinking - of course, what are you talking about!)
But as the days get shorter and colder and we hear of the Christmas holiday stories floating our way over the Pacific - man, would it be nice to be on the beach at Valla this Christmas!
Catch a wave or two for us.
(By the way, the photo is of Grahame and Patty Scarratt and I at Bulli Anglican Church in November, at the 'festejo' to celebrate 30 years of Scarratt ministry in Latin America, and me being handed the 'poncho' to be the Director of MOCLAM)
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