From CA to PA: One Lancer’s Holiday Reflections
Christmas is coming up very quickly. Everyone has their own traditions about what they want to do for the holidays. Some people want to bake cookies, hang decorations, drink hot cocoa, and relax and watch a Christmas movie. It’s almost like a procedure or process to have a “normal” Christmas. But how does “normal” Christmas in Pennsylvania compare to other places in the world or the country? Well I have been to many places in the world due to moving. And the most unique Christmas I have ever had was in California. Yes, I lived there for 3 years, and it is very different from Christmas in Pennsylvania. I’m going to tell you about what Christmas was like in California.
California is all about bright sunshine and beaches. Every day is like a summer day there due to how hot it was. The biggest difference of course would be there is no snow where I lived there. So, we didn’t ever get a “white Christmas”. Even if California feels like it’s always summer that doesn’t mean anyone isn’t festive. People decorate their houses really well, and they show how much they love Christmas. Getting onto Christmas Day, you wake up on a bright summer day, and go downstairs to start opening your presents. Now here it would most likely be a cold, and cloudy day. Or hopefully it could be a snowy day. Not the case in California. Even if it’s different, it still felt like Christmas. I mean, you could go to the beach on Christmas Day, and get a sun tan if you want. Christmas in California is like Christmas in summer time.
Most of the stuff we did in California for Christmas is the stuff we still do now. We didn’t hang as many Christmas lights as we used to, but we never really hung up a lot of Christmas decorations in general. We still make cookies, and watch movies which help us get into the spirit. Basically you could do almost anything that you would do in summer time on Christmas day in California. Honestly, Pennsylvania Christmases put me more “into the spirit” because the seasons change, and winter feels quite different. It helps that we get snow, and it gets cold in the winter. Either way, Christmas in California was fun and different, but Christmas in Pennsylvania just feels like it’s the real holiday season.