The day after tomorrow will be Christmas here in Van, and with no sight of snow, I see very little point in actually putting up with these wintery Christmas' anymore. Where is the snow? Where are the snowmen? What about the sleigh rides that some Christmas cards depict? I miss NZ this time of year, where Christmas means BBQ's, flip flops and sometimes beach excursions. It just seems strange to not be spending my time, lying outside on the grass, after the imminent present-swap and food hoovering. Even though it has been nearly three years without all this, I still feel a bit lost at Christmas time.
My first Christmas away from my family and friends was spent in a cold smelly Prague hostel, not celebrating Christmas at all. The next Christmas, it was spent with Bjorn and James, in our small, cold London studio flat, eating lots of food and watching strange movies. This Christmas is set to be even better than the last, sitting in our cosy Van flat, with our little Kong-Invaded-Christmas-Tree, eating, drinking, watching movies, with Gord and our pet-friend Wilco. 
Regardless of how I spend Christmas, all that matters to me is that I spend it with Bjorn, for without him my Christmas would be nothing, there would be no celebrations, no expectations, and certainly nobody to buy lots of presents for. Above everything else, I am most grateful to have someone to spend my Christmas day with, someone to spoil with lots of presents (even though he complains about how many I buy him - can you believe that!) and someone to get drunk and merry with, when the day is over. It seems my Christmas' away from home started at the bottom of the barrel and have gradually worked their way up the scale with next year being the big one; home. A Christmas spent with not only my Bjorn, but with my family, my friends, and my cat. It makes me feel teary eyed just thinking about it actually. Seriously! I'm getting all Belinda about it!But anyway, I miss you guys and if I don't talk to you on Christmas, have a great one, regardless of what presents you get or give, be grateful for the people that you spend it with because in the end, thats all that matters. Merry Christmas everybody.