One of my all-time favourite things about America is the Christmas
season. Comparing to Australia, every
holiday in the U.S is on steroids since Americans’ love to decorate everything from their cars and bathrooms
to their mailboxes and laptop wallpapers. Of course the splendid decorations
and vivid colour pops every autumn are amazing as well but, to me, there’s something simply magical about
Christmas!
You step outside your door and stiffen as the cold envelops
you instantly. You inhale a breath so
sharp that it winds you temporarily, before you realize the smell out here is
of crisp dew mingled with the warm and comforting smell of burning wood. That makes you smile as you momentarily envision
the cozy fireplaces responsible for it, inside the happy living rooms of neighbouring houses
so cute, any one of them could be a
postcard if you thought to take a picture and sign the back. You walk down the street, warmer with every
step; admiring passing fairy lights, nativity scenes, snowmen, reindeer,
Santas, angles and various other decorative, glowing shapes on the lawns or
roofs of the postcard-houses.
Then you turn down a main street with shops and pause to catch your breath which has escaped you due to the overwhelming beauty of the scene before you! The shops, lanterns, benches... everything in sight adorns garlands or lights,wreaths or mistletoe. You feel
lucky to be here, in this moment and on this street that’s so beautiful: you
could be on the set of a movie! But that's just any suburb in any city here in the U.S.A.
When you’re here it’s hard to wrap your mind around the fact
that in Australia it’s currently hot and summertime; everyone is on the
beach. Maybe it's because of the different architectural styles, snow
stereotype or the Christmas movies we grew up watching but somehow it always feels more festive in a coat, gloves and boots – not a half-naked, surfing Santa in sight!
Here are two collages I made to show how I spent my Christmas season last year. I got a taste of Christmas on opposite sides of the world! It started in sunny QLD, Australia:
And ended in Atlanta, GA USA:
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