8/13/2019 Merry New Year - Dec 2013

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Merry New Year

Well we can certainly celebrate Christmas 2013 as Santa (for Santa read Liz andTrish and Adrian and President Obama and the Supreme Court and all the countlessequal rights campaigners who have literally died while fighting the good LGBT fight)

brought us many presents. Finally theres been some payoff for being very nicelynaughty.Over here in Lime Land, weve got our bit to cheer about. Not only will we soon haveweddings that legally mean full unmitigated marriage, but theyve moved up the duedate to 29 March. Kindall and I will apply to have our civil partnership re-registeredas a marriage. True to form well have a little event to celebrate. Stay posted.Weve been together in the UK for 5 years on 22 December. That means weve had6 British Christmases. Christmas is as major here as it in the U.S. and while it ismuch the same, there are notable (and lovely) differences. Christmas is a minimumof 2, and for many, a 9 day celebration, as most companies here give theiremployees 25 days holiday as standard. People often have off Christmas Eve (as we

call the entire day before Christmas) but Christmas is both Christmas Day andBoxing Day. Virtually everyone has both days off, as they are both bank holidays.Trying to cram everything into one day is as stressful as it is impossible. HavingBoxing Day to see the in-laws or to drop-in at friends homes is both more and less more merry making and less taxing.Many of the Christmas carols are identical with some notable differences. Away in aManger and O Little Town of Bethlehem are completely different, to name a couple.Kindall has learned most of the new tunes and harmonies, but he always gives a bigsigh when he sees O Little Town... on the list. He claims that the British version isdull and monotonous. He might be right about that one. Then therere the secularsongs, such as Santa Claus is Comingto Town and Winter Wonderland whichsurprisingly few know well enough to sing from memory. That said, there is a strongtradition of pop Christmas songs. Christmas songs regularly make it on to the top40 list like Last Christmas (Wham!/George Michael)no. 1 in 1987 andHalleluja/Alexandra Burke & Jeff Buckley no. 1 & 2 in 2008. Try listening to StopThe Cavalry by Jona Lewie a massive hit in 1980 that keeps him comfortable tothis day.Christmas cards are all over the place as welltheyre a huge spread of emotionsfrom love, through sincerity, to downright sarcastic and often very funny. That rangeof cards was something I missed in the US. A lot of our cards will say HappyChristmas.

And Merry New Year? Not really, but as happy is already taken, well then Merry,Merry New Year to us all. Its Christmas eve. Eve, now, not day. Our friends haveleft. Were shutting the gates and they wont open again until the 27th. Yes. Thatreally islovely!