Christmas in Florida

On the occasion of Christmas, 2002

This year marks my ninth Christmas in Florida and not coincidentally, some nine and a half years of not seeing snow first hand. As a northerner, the thought of a snow-less Christmas seems less and less unusual with each passing year. Back home, in the sub-arctic climes of southern Canada I was used to a very different experience than that of my children here on the 27th parallel adjancent to the Gulf of Mexico. Recalled from my past experiences are the days of plugging in cars, frozen noses, ears, hands, feet and other important extremities. Up north we had snow blizzards, here we have hurricanes. Back home there were astronomical heating bills in the winter. Here we have big electric bills during peak air conditioning months, though I must admit that we do run the AC pretty much year round. Christmas displays here are pretty much the same as up north, but there is a tendancy to go a little more overboard perhaps. The funny part is seeing fake snowmen and things "frosted up" to look like they've been snowed on. Today its 50 degrees Fahrenheit (+10 C) and people are walking around with parkas on. Except for Canadians and Americans from northern states. And Cameron who ran outside in his underwear.

I tend to make comparisons this time of year between my present digs and the homes I where lived in the past, this year being no exception. Today I look out at palms and cactii, Amazonian parrots, Geckos, lush green grass and deciduous trees with a full compliment of leaves. At my old home in Belleville Ontario, I would look out this time of year and see snow, naked trees and (quite correctly) bundled up people. I recall fishing huts on the Bay of Quinte, inhabited, ostensibly, by enthusiastic ice fishers. I am told these folks enjoyed the process of drilling a hole in the ice and spending a relaxing day in the sub-zero weather consuming alcoholic beverages and waiting hours for an errant fish to bite. Here on the Gulf of Mexico we have fishermen year round as well, though I must say the process seems somewhat more pleasant.

Observe the temperature bands...

A hobby of mine is observing the temperature bands on the weather maps for North America. My favorite days are those when my current home is 100 degrees (Fahrenheit of course!) greater than my old home(s) in Canada. Last year there were quite a few days like that. I like to point out to friends that Winnipeg, my birthplace, is generally about as cold as northern Alaska in the dead of winter, due to a "U" shaped dip in the temperature bands. There is a price to pay, however, for living in Florida. We call that summer, or more specifically, hurricane season. Even without the threat of hurricanes, one quickly finds out why Florida was pretty much a backwater state until the invention of air conditioning. I am pretty well acclimated to the hot, humid days of summer, but to some it can be life or death, literally. I enjoy biking here just as much as I did in Canada, but the main difference here is to plan to lose a lot of fluids and take plenty of drinks to compensate. Year round warmth comes with a few other added bonuses as well. Without it, creatures such as the alligator, water snakes, all manner of insect and tropical disease would find our new home state rather less attractive. I guess its a case of you win on one hand and lose with the other. All things being equal, I'd rather have those things to worry about than plugging in a car or experiencing one more case of frostbite. No, I don't miss the snow.