Our December follower of the month is Samantha Key of Key Image Photographers.   She is in the process of making life changes I think you will enjoy hearing about.  Please take a minute to visit her blog at http://keyimagephotographers.wordpress.com/

Seasonal Change

With the Christmas season in full swing it is hard for me to feel Christmasy this year. Usually I am Little Miss Christmas. I love getting my decorations down, the colder nights and walking my dog  looking at the amazing light shows that people on my estate display. If I am feeling really adventurous I will walk nearly an hour to the estate with the giant inflatable Simpsons Santa in the garden.

However, this year I am spending Christmas on the other side of the world, in Australia. The temperature has reached mid twenties everyday and the nights are staying light well into 7pm. The shops are displaying Christmas trees and decorations and Christmas songs are blasting out everywhere. I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas just doesn’t feel the same walking around in shorts and thongs (Australian for flip flops).

I’ve brought some budget baubles, a grow your own Christmas Tree and some tinsel, but it still doesn’t feel like Christmas. I still want to run outside every day to make the most of the sunshine!

All this change has started me thinking how widespread some of our celebrations are. We can be cultures and miles apart but people all over the world are still putting up Christmas Trees. You can be rich or poor but you will still be giving to someone you love on Christmas day. Christmas and New Year seem to be celebrations which unite cultures. Some people will spend Christmas huddled inside in front of a toasty fire, others on the beach with a BBQ but everyone will celebrate the same event in some way. How amazing is that?

Now apply this globally on a daily basis. Imagine if everyday people from different cultures and countries united to celebrate life, to celebrate the wonderful planet we live on, to give thanks? How much positivity, appreciation and joy would that create?

Who’s for a universal Christmas, where every day is shared in a balance of giving and receiving our gifts? Let your everyday gift to the world be the fabulous person which is you, your uniqueness, your talent, your time and your energy. What a wonderful planet we could all create.

So I am off to buy a disposable BBQ, stock up on vegetarian sausages and embrace Christmas this year Aussie style. Some traditions just need to be challenged with new ways of doing things!

Happy Christmas everyone.