So this is Xmas

Even though everyone always says that the year has gone so fast, it doesn't feel that way to me. It is surprising that I've been here for almost 5 months but I can't say that the year has gone either fast or slow because my time here feels disconnected from my life in Australia, on a different time-line somehow. (When I return it will probably be with some unrealistic expectation of picking up exactly where I left off.)

As you've seen from photos it's a White Christmas here. More snow is forecast for Xmas eve and morning. This makes the holiday fare far more appropriate. Australian families are forced to choose between the traditional Christmas dinner, requiring a hot oven on top of the midday heat, and the more practical cold meats and salad. Here it's a no-brainer, every source of heat helps. (Not that it's ever been much of a choice for me. A cold meal is not a meal - it's a snack. I even toast all my sandwiches!) Luckily, I have two friends who haven't fled Bloomington for the break so I'll be eating Xmas dinner with them.

An American Xmas treat worth mentioning is egg nog. I knew to look for it because in one Xmas episode Homer Simpson buys a fridge full of egg nog instead of milk! Anyway, the supermarket version isn't alcoholic (easily fixed!) and tastes like a thin custard with the spices from the pudding mixed through. Which is good, because I couldn't see any Xmas puddings at the supermarket so nog just might have to substitute.