Eric of Arabia

I think I once calculated that the Sun's rays are about 6% more intense during Southern Hemisphere summer than Northern Hemisphere summer at sea level around noon because the Earth is closer to the Sun during Southern Hemisphere summer. It definitely feels like it, and we need to be very generous with the sunscreen.

You wouldn't know it from looking at "Eric of Arabia" though. He looks like he hasn't seen the Sun since 2003.

We hope everyone is having a nice holiday season. We miss everyone back in the U.S. We're going to enjoy some meals and cheer with with some friends in our neighborhood here in Melbourne on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Australia has already shut down for a few weeks for the holidays. They take time off more seriously here than in the States. Eric is locked out of his office, and so he needs to work from home or coffee shops. More big news is that Isabel has finished 5th grade, and it is summer break until the end of January. Isabel will get to start 6th grade twice in 2015!

Christmas is different here. There are not as many decorations, maybe because most of the Northern Hemisphere decor (e.g. snowmen, sleigh bells, icicles, etc) doesn't really make sense. It is also light until past 9, and so not many people bother putting up lights. We found this somewhat humorous Olivia Newton John video from the 60s when she was 17, where she sings about how Christmas is different "Down Under": www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvyp8gOHWKI  The best line is "The only snow we have is on our Christmas tree. The Southern Cross is not the northern star,"