Chances for snow in San Francisco, where I will be spending Christmas this year, are pretty small. For a Scandinavian in California it can be hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it’s all sunny and 15°C/60°F outside.
Of course there are a few tricks to help you:
- Escape to the mountains. Lake Tahoe is only a few hours away.
- Visit a nearby IKEA store. Their assortment is nothing to write home about anymore, but you can still find sill, glogg, cheeses etc (IKEA branded nowadays).
- Light candles/fireplaces. California might be in more southern latitudes, but it still gets dark and pretty cold in the evenings.
- Decorate your house/cubicle/desk.
- Go ice-skating at Union Square or/and Justin Herman Plaza at the Embarcadero.
- Do something nice for someone. Even if you don’t have a lot of time you can spare a few hours to help someone needy. For example, through Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly you can visit a lonely elder, since many of them spend the holidays alone.
- Watch Christmas movies. Elf and Love Actually are a must. “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear” which leads me to:
- Listen to Christmas music. At Herringbone we created a Spotify Christmas 2011 Playlist. You can find it here.
What do you do to get into the Christmas spirit?
Anna
><(((°>
