You know it is the festive season when you finally have something to talk about with those acquaintances where the conversation often dithers into a spiral of polite nods and awkward silences. You can pick any topic from the most useless xmas present to the effects of climate change on our Sydney summer.
To start with, there are the Christmas parties and presents whether provided by work or friends. There are bound to be scandalous stories from the work Christmas party whether it be your colleagues ability to consume copious amounts of beverage and still stand (in fact, still dance with reasonable coordination), or the way Miss A and Mr B were flirting……. To date I have attended one lovely work Christmas party, sent regrets for not attending a friends Christmukah party and hosted my own Chanukah party. I have also received a bag of Kez’s cookies (it did not even occur to them that the brand name was so fitting!), a small box of Belgium chocolates and a Star Wars poster (from Kris Kringle).
With recent school leavers and uni students to a lesser extent, the conversation can also gear towards the ultimate waiting game. Waiting for that day (December 19th) where that magical number arrives to tell you if you will succeed in life. Actually, I lie – that number will simply tell you if you get accepted into a course that you might be interested in. A low UAI does not indicate a life doomed to the pits of despair. That simple number is just a product of many equations which some smart mathematicians deducted. But how an individual uses that number to their advantage and make the most of the different pathways are the keys to succeeding. Uni students have also received their results, and would have also discovered if they can perhaps apply for Honours due to their wonderful results, or if that summer will be spent at summer school to make up for a failed subject.
After exhausting the gossip from festivities and studies, you could move on and talk about any existing holiday plans. Uni students seem to always have something up their sleeve, even if it just relaxing at a holiday house on the coast. Some full time workers also respond with a hint of glee in their eyes as they count down till their one and a half week holiday to Thailand. If you were to be so nice as to ask me about my holiday plans, I would froth at the mouth as I describe my holiday to India, the foods I will devour and my dilemma of what to pack, as I want to leave as much room as possible for some heavy duty shopping.
So I have decided that December is the best month of the year. Ravaging bush fires, sweat stained clothes, the permanent stench of salt water seeping through the skin and swarming flies are just minor deterrents for December to win the crown.
Who needs a white Christmas anyway??