California Winters

California Winters

California’s known for being sunny all year. It’s true, though we’ve been getting a couple months of rain the past year or two. Couple years ago, it’d be halfway through December and we’d still all be out in shorts. It hasn’t snowed for decades.

Winter in California isn’t like any other. There is no being excited because school canceled due to the snow. There isn’t much going out with friends in thick sweaters, beanies, and scarves, to go make snow angels or sled. There’s not much need to make hot steaming cocoa to warm frozen fingers from the cold.

But I like it. I like California winters.

I like how 96.5 KOIT has been playing Christmas blues since Thanksgiving break, with a few Bay Area specials like Vic Damone’s “Christmas in San Francisco” and Tim Hockenberry’s “Christmas By the Bay.”

I like going to San Francisco to see a musical in one of the city’s grand theaters, and visiting Union Square to shop and take pictures by the giant Christmas tree.

I like the weather, with temperatures in the 60s and 70s when it’s warm, and a couple degrees lower when it’s raining.

I like the walks I can take in my quiet city, fallen, dried leaves crunching under my boots, surrounded by comely homes, bare trees, and a cloudy grey sky above.

I like visiting Christmas Tree Lane, where all the houses are specifically required to decorate for Christmas. One house has hundreds of teddy bears decorating the house, another has a bench where kids can listen to a recording of "Twas a Night before Christmas." All of them are beautifully decorated with whimsical, bright colored lights.

I like the fake snow machine that has fake snowflakes fall lightly upon skaters at Winter Lodge, gently kissing their thick gloves. Everyone dressed in sweaters, hoodies, and UGGs.

I like buying bags of Ghirardelli peppermint bark at CVS, with people bringing pieces of the creamy, minty chocolates in their Lululemon bags to school.

I like seeing when I pass Town and Country, 20 people still waiting outside Boba Guys in line for cold cups of boba.

That’s winter to me. And I wouldn’t give anything to have winter any other way. Just like in Vic Damone’s song, “There is no place quite so dear/It’s the closest thing to heaven/How I wish that you were here.” California winters.

*this is a different style from my usual writing, a more “bloggy” kind of writing. It’s a rough draft, and I might be changing it later to make it a little more poetic. I thought it’d be nice to be thankful for my California winters, as Thanksgiving break is ending and winter is rolling in. Hope you enjoyed!*

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