Happy Birthday Santa????

I was walking through the Corso today and marveling that it was only one week to Christmas and I was in a tank top and capris.

How wrong does that seem??

Then I started to marvel at the red and green tinsel wrapped around the palm trees, the pine Christmas tree with the solar powered lights. And it got wronger. About as wrong as using the word 'wronger'.

Palm trees with tinsel? Christmas doesn't have palm trees!!
And the pine Christmas trees? Where'd they get it? Oh right - they grow on every corner.....not.
Solar powered lights? Where I come from - it's dark by dinner - there's not enough solar to power anything!!
And there's no snow!!!!
No snow!!!!

And to top it off - there's a sign in the Mambo surf shop that says "Happy Birthday Santa".

Happy Birthday SANTA????

Now, I know Christmas is different down here - but last time I checked - Christmas was all about a birth - but it sure wasn't Santa's. I mean - does Santa even have a birthday? I mean, the man is ageless. Never mind fictional.... How can someone fictional have a birthday?????

By the time I saw the sign, I'd seen enough. I started to head back through the corso to my flat, when I noticed him.....
watching me.....
following me with those strangely hollow eyes.....
He's supposed to be jolly, but the Santa on the roof of the Mambo shop was just creeping me out.

I miss Canada.

I miss the possibility that there could be a white Christmas.

I miss the cold.

I want a real Christmas.....