Two weeks to Christmas. Definitely will not be white, though not by any means our first green one. Think it is now twenty Christmases in Cyprus plus one in Cuba and one in England. And a couple post-retirement back in Canada courtesy of the lock down. Was thinking last year that this was the first one in North Cyprus but actually not. There were four or five when we were staying in the South but took a Christmas break with Jane and Bill at Ship Inn this side of Girne. Ship Inn used to specialise in Christmas and New Year breaks aimed mainly at a British clientele. Christmas dinner through New Year’s Eve festivities complete with belly dancer. Initially pretty good but by 2017 they seemed to be declining in inspiration and possibly finances. Catering dropping to boarding school standard, leading us to opt for the place B&J had bought near Ipswich for 2018.
Christmas is not a holiday in the mainly Muslim North, although restaurants and presumably hotels often have a festive tree and British and European expats do celebrate. The Tulips cancer support charity has had Christmassy decorations, CDs and clothing for sale on the last couple of market Saturdays. On the other hand we are spared weeks of Christmas music in the supermarkets as experienced in the South where pleas to “let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”were a presumed spur to Christmas purchasing. Did encounter a woman at our little supermarket this afternoon looking without much optimism for mincemeat.
And J has put up our minimalist decorations saved from previous years. Chiefly the people - little wooden figures first acquired at a garage sale in Canada many years ago. In theory I am a purist, thinking decorations should go up Christmas Eve and come down January 6 at Epiphany, but it is always cheering to see our little wooden friends making their annual appearance.