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#Post#: 1969--------------------------------------------------
6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: Jack Date: December 5, 2017, 5:09 pm
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[center]by David Katz[/center]
I love Christmas. Christmas always brings snow and sledding and
snowmen and snow ball fights with my cousins. I love playing in
the snow. Mom and Grandma always have plenty of peppermint hot
cocoa to keep us warm. Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Bob and
Aunt Meg and my cousins Ken and Ben come for a visit and we have
a great time. There are lots of presents and food and lights
and snow.
All of that is over. I no longer love Christmas. I hate
Christmas now. My name is Ivan Brightwood but everyone calls me
Van and I am nine years-old. This is my story of why I now hate
Christmas.
Dad made the big announcement when school was out last spring.
I think he and Mom already knew but they waited to spill the
news to me until school was out. Dad got a new job; well, not
exactly. Dad was still going to work for the same company but
he got a new job with his old company. I didn’t understand it
all either but, anyway, this new job with the same company meant
we were going to be moving – to Australia. At first I was
excited and Mom and I even went on line and looked up lots of
stuff about Australia. There were lots of really neat animals
and I found out that I wouldn’t have to learn a new language. I
was worried about trying to speak Australian but Mom said they
spoke English there. I also learned that it is summer in
Australia when it is winter in Minnesota and when it is summer
in Minnesota then it is winter in Australia. Dad had an old
globe and he showed me how the way the Earth was tilted is what
made that happen. I think it made sense.
The plane ride took forever but we finally made it. Dad’s
company already had a house arranged for us. I liked our new
house – it was bigger than our house in Minnesota and it had a
pool! It seemed like it took forever for our stuff to show up
but one day a truck arrived. I was glad to have my toys and
games. I liked my new school and the kids there were really
friendly. They had lots of questions about America and loved to
listen to me talk. The kids at my new school said I talked
funny but I think it is the Australian kids who talk funny.
It sure is hot in Australia! I am glad we have a pool. I
asked Mom when it would snow and she reminded me about the whole
winter and summer swap thing but then Mom said that, even when
winter came around next June, it wouldn’t snow. What!? No
snow!?
As November rolled around I made even more use of our pool. I
asked about Thanksgiving. Mom said they didn’t celebrate
Thanksgiving in Australia – I thought I was going to cry. I
love turkey and Thanksgiving is the day we always put up the
Christmas decorations. Mom said we would still have a turkey
and decorate for Christmas. I then realized that Christmas was
going to be in the summer, that there would be no snow, no
peppermint cocoa and no grandparents or cousins. Why even bother
to decorate?
**********
We decorated anyway – we decorated a lot. We even started way
earlier than Thanksgiving. I think Mom and Dad thought all of
the Christmas crap everywhere would make me feel better. It
didn’t. The day after “Thanksgiving” Mom decided to take a
picture and make a Christmas card to send to everyone back in
America. I was to be the subject of the card. Dad had set up a
tree and decorations in the back yard and then turned the other
trees into Christmas trees and Mom had wrapped up a bunch of
empty boxes to look like presents. I was supposed to sit among
all of the festive stuff wearing a Santa hat. Mom thought it
would be “cute” for the picture to show all of the green stuff
around us and for me to be wearing summer clothes. I was not
amused and I was not going to have any part of it.
Mom sat me, in shorts, t-shirt, bare feet, and an idiotic Santa
hat among the trees and gifts and told me to smile and look
happy. I refused. We stayed out there for over an hour and
took like a million pictures but I was determined that I was not
going to pretend to be happy. Dad finally told Mom to give up
and just use the best picture she could find of the bunch. Dad
pulled me aside and told me I was on thin ice with my attitude.
Really, Dad? I wish there were some ice around here. Dad told
me to get over myself or he would adjust my attitude for me. I
knew what that meant.
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[size=18pt]Usually the threat of an attitude adjustment from Dad
will bring me around but I didn’t care. I was determined to let
Mom and Dad both know just how bad I had it. I refused to make
cookies with Mom, I wouldn’t write a letter to Santa, and I
begged to stay home from the annual Christmas shopping trip. Mom
and Dad tolerated that more than I thought they would but one
evening I was having a really bad time and the Christmas tree
fell over. OK, I might have shoved it a bit. Dad got up from
his chair and calmly said, “Van, I’ve had enough.” Dad grabbed
me by the arm and dragged me to my room.
I ended up shorts and underwear down over Dad’s lap. I promised
that I would be good and do better but Dad was determined. Dad
smacked my bottom with his hand until I was crying good and
hard. (That really didn’t take long as I was already upset.)
Dad sat me up and let me calm down and then we talked. I think
crying helped me feel better and I did finally really listen to
Dad. Dad said he understood why I had been sad but there were
certain things I couldn’t get away with. I also had not
realized that Christmas in Australia was hard on Mom and Dad
too. I helped Dad stand the Christmas tree back up; I was happy
that nothing got broken. Mom asked me if I wanted to make
cookies and I decided I did.
It was three days before Christmas and Dad showed up with a van
he had borrowed from a friend at his company. Dad asked me if I
wanted to take a ride with him and I did. I asked where we were
going and he said it was a surprise. We ended up at the airport
and I was confused and then I saw everyone. Grandad, Grandma,
Uncle Bob, Aunt Meg, Ken and Ben were all there. They had come
to visit for Christmas! Ken and Ben showed me a picture of them
with their first snowman of the season – I needed that.
Christmas was great. We all spent the day in the pool listening
to Christmas music. Uncle Bob was stretched out in a lounge
chair by the pool soaking up the sun and sipping on a cold drink
and called out to me.
“Van, I saw your Christmas card and for the life of me I have no
idea why you were so sad.”
“Me neither, Uncle Bob!! Cannonball!!”
#Post#: 1971--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: Zyngaru Date: December 5, 2017, 7:21 pm
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I can empathize with Ivan. Christmas just isn't Christmas
without snow. It is the only day of the year I like snow. ;D
#Post#: 1979--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: Jack Date: December 6, 2017, 3:13 am
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I can empathize since I live in Texas, and have only had about 1
White Christmas and a couple of near misses. On the other hand,
at least I didn't grow up with it.
Thanks much for the story, David.
#Post#: 1981--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: db105 Date: December 6, 2017, 12:36 pm
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Very cute story, David! I enjoyed it! ;D Thanks.
#Post#: 2013--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: Kat Date: December 7, 2017, 10:45 pm
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Great story, Katz. I don't require snow for Christmas, but I
hate having a warm one. That's happening more and more often now
in Texas. So much of Christmas culture revolves around winter. I
feel sorry for Van! Who wants to bake cookies in the heat of
summer?
Kat
#Post#: 2044--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: kalico Date: December 9, 2017, 9:17 am
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Great story Katz ..... one of the hardest things for me about
living in Texas is that with the holidays and no snow it seems
to not feel like Christmas as I've always had white Christmases
but I'm used to it now and hey guess what
It SNOWED yesterday!
Light dusting but hey it was snow and the first time here in 13
years.....
Great story and thanks for sharing
Hugs kal
#Post#: 2049--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: Zyngaru Date: December 9, 2017, 10:25 am
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[quote author=kalico link=topic=223.msg2044#msg2044
date=1512832637]
Great story Katz ..... one of the hardest things for me about
living in Texas is that with the holidays and no snow it seems
to not feel like Christmas as I've always had white Christmases
but I'm used to it now and hey guess what
It SNOWED yesterday!
Light dusting but hey it was snow and the first time here in 13
years.....
Great story and thanks for sharing
Hugs kal
[/quote]
Enjoy the snow.
I grew up in Virginia and it never snowed. Not on the coast
where I lived anyway. But now over the past couple years they
are getting more and more snow. I heard the weather channel say
that Richmond could possible get double digit snow. Heck a
quarter inch of snow causes mass accidents. Double digits will
close the state.
#Post#: 2079--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: Leti Date: December 9, 2017, 8:25 pm
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Great story David!
Hugs
Leti
#Post#: 2204--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: David M. Katz Date: December 13, 2017, 11:15 pm
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This Advent entry has been expanded to a MMSA story. ;D ;D
HTML http://www.malespank.net/viewStory.php?id=40025
#Post#: 2370--------------------------------------------------
Re: 6 December 2017 - Christmas Down Under by David Katz
By: squarecutter Date: December 20, 2017, 4:29 pm
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I think if I were to have Christmas in hot climes I would
struggle to eat the vast quantity of food that I do. It
certainly wouldn't feel the same. In all honesty I reckon we get
a genuinely white Christmas about once every ten years or so.
Mostly it is about nights closing in and shutting out the
weather and enjoying Christmas in a warm fug with twinkling
lights from candles, tree decorations and yep the tv. Britain
doesn't often do extremes but boy when it happens, do we
struggle? We have had a bit of cold snap a few days ago but
only just enough snow for some schools to shut at the behest I
suspect of the teaching unions. Sweet story
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