I used to check out “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” from the library starting in July. Yep, as soon as I had my library card I was chasing down that special Christmastime feeling. On my drive home today, my “Shuffle” mix popped up a song from the Home Alone soundtrack, which I play all year long.
We had a big storm here yesterday, lightning, thunder, cold crisp winds, the whole shebang. After several months of hot sun shining brightly, temps in the 80s and 90s, and barely a sprinkle the two times it rained all summer, it was certainly a brusque reminder of the change of season that is nearly upon us. Here in Sicily, we get an extended summer through most of September, with autumn running deep into November and even early December.
Yet, yesterday’s storm and today’s Christmas-themed music were enough to trigger my longing for that thin layer of snow to crunch through each morning, and thick mittens and jackets, scraping the windshield (okay, I do not actually miss that…), the lovely winter memories that accompany Christmastime somewhere in my memory…