It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I guess that's because it's raining here in Vancouver - and it always rains in Vancouver at Christmas. I can't remember a single year when we've had snow for the holidays.

I can remember years when it rained, years when it flooded, years when it was brilliantly sunny and we could go out in our T-shirts. I remember plenty of years when part of Christmas Eve or Boxing Day was spent on a patio at some coffee shop somewhere, enjoying the warm weather. And I remember, more than anything else, walking to the car as a kid carrying presents for all the stops we had to make, and getting soaking wet doing it. Christmas is all about rain for me.

Oh, when I lived in Toronto, we almost always had snow for Christmas and the same when I lived in Kelowna for a couple of years. I've been to New York over the holidays - definitely snow. I've been to Edmonton over the holidays - even more snow.

But Christmas in Vancouver is always green and always wet - and that's what feels like the holidays to me. I like being able to walk on the beach when it's warm and wet and look at all the water birds who have decided to stop for a rest on their way south for the winter. Lots of them don't bother to leave. They get fed, it's never too cold, and they spend the winter being admired and photographed by us - why would they leave?

Oh, we do have some snow - but it's up in the mountains, a 20 minute drive from my place. I like it up there. I can see it shining on the sunny days, imagine it through the clouds on the many cloudy days, go visit it if I have a craving - which is seldom.

It's not that I don't like snow - I do. Just as long as it's not on my street. I know, I know, 70 or 80% of the North American population lives in places where it snows in the winter - but I don't. And I like it that way.

Kate