Restroom privacy

Have you ever noticed that most public restrooms have a gap? Usually this gap is between the point where you lock the door. Crazy huh? I hadn't thiought much of it until my cousin who was visiting mentioned that this is very different from the UK. Not to mention the whole restroom vs. toilet debate between the UK and the US.
The restrooms at the airport, at the outlets, at the malls they all seemed to have this same gap that we don't tend to think much of it but the gap is big enough to be able to tell if someone is in the cubicle or not. So next time you use a public restroom think twice becausre you might not be totally alone as you might think.

Celebrities vs. royalty

What is the difference between a celebrity and a member of the royal family. Well - it all depends on which country you happen to be in. In England the Royal family are celebrities. Of course they still have other celebrities too... but the Royal family are celebrities. The Royal family are constantly splashed on the TV, newspapers, and in magazines. People 'stalk' the royal family for photos and information just as they do here in America with celebrities.
In America its all about the celebrities but sometimes the two worlds can mix when there is a big event. For example, with the wedding of William and Kate even though I don't watch the news regularly, I've seen the information on the American news channel and even in magazines.
So - is there really a difference between celebrities and royalty. Not really. Celebrities are those that got to where they are either by doing something spectacular (actor/actress etc) or by marrying or being the child of someone famous. The royal family are people that were born or married into it. The media and the public are both fascinated by the lives of these individuals and will do almost anything to know about them better.

Holiday..... celebrate

Sometimes if I'm not sure what holiday comes next, popping into the card store will tell me. Or sometimes I don't even need to go to a card store, its right there, its everywhere.
Right after christmas and of course the christmas sales, valentines day starts to appear. You can't miss the flash of red that greets you and jumps out at you. Encouraging those with loved ones to buy a card, buy a gift, sweets, chocolate anything. In England, from what I remember Valentines day was there but it wasn't as big as it is here. Here it takes over stores. Most stores have a special section dedicated to Valentines day. And its not just for those with lovers either. Its for friends and family, kids, teachers everyone. They have these special cards that kids can buy - of course they're themed with Dora, Mickey mouse, Tinker bell or Spongebob and kids can give these to other kids in their class and even their teachers. They never had this in England when I was a child anyway. And of course there's the candy, the chocolates, the heart shaped confetti not to mention the heart shaped plates, cups, glasses, napkins, clothes, jewellry....the list is endless. Libraries, restaurants, bookstores all have some kind of display, promotion for valentines day. No one wants to be left behind.

After Valentines day is Easter. Easter bunnies start poppoing out from the corner. Chocolates, baskets, furry bunnies. Easter was celebrated in England, but more spiritually than anything else. I remember them selling these huge chocolate eggs based on your favorite Cadbury's chocolate. And each year my dad would buy my sister and I one. It was usually milk chocolate and then would also include the actual chocolate of your choice. But I don't remember easter egg hunts like they have here, or bunny rabbits, or gifts.

After Easter comes Mother's day. In England Mother's day is in March but in America it is in May which is totally bizzare that it would be different but anyway.... Mother's day presents and cards flood the stores including TV advertisements reminding you not to forget that special person in your life.

After Mother's day is Father's day which is the same day in both countries.

In America we also have 4th of july and this means a lot of merchandise including cards which have the flag of America on it. People decorate their houses, cars, self for the occasion. There is also a firework show in the evenings, or people just lit their own fireworks to celebrate this special day.

Then its October and Halloween. Costumes in costume stores, as well as pharmacies, grocery stores, and other stores. Clothing which has something related to Halloween, jewelry, accessories and all that jazz. Even theme parks offer a Halloween special event. Halloween in England consisted of Trick or Treating but not much more. But here in America its huge. People dress up for work. People wear jewelry and themed t shirts the whole month long. People celebrate it for weeks. Parties, activities, games.

Then its thanksgiving. Cards wander into the stores. Grocery stores have a special section for thanksgiving. Not to mention you can wear a shirt or a sweater with a turkey on it, and of course jewelry. And then of course its the after thanksgiving sales so of course that's being advertised intensely.

And then of course Christmas. Christmas, Christmas Christmas. We all know what that means.

I might have forgotten some smaller holidays along the way but you get the jist of what I am saying and there is a store called Old navy which actually offers $5 t shirts for each of these holidays as they approach. Crazy huh? So what is it? Are these holidays a means of commercialization or is it just a way of bringing people together. Is Valentines day important to people dating, or married. Or does it matter if that special person can't be there to celebrate that day with you? Who made these holidays and how come in America they are so much bigger and so much more celebrated. Are they less significant because of how they are commercialized?

Weather changes

Who decided that it snows in December and that the sun shines in July? Who invented the saying 'white Christmas?' Its not always what it should be?
In Florida on Christmas day I was wearing shorts because it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of you England readers, 70 degrees F is approximately 20 degrees C. And I loved being able to wear shorts on Christmas day and in January and even February.
The weather in Florida doesn't always follow stereotype as some countries do. It was warm until the end of November and then suddenly got cold quickly, about 40 degrees F (about 5 degrees C) and then we had some huge chills before the weather got warmer again for Christmas and now its regulating at around 50-65 degrees F. The nights and mornings being colder of course.
But that's what I like best about Florida - the sun. The fact that you don't expect it to get cold in September and then stay cold until May. Its sunny all year round.
So - do I miss having a 'white Christmas'? Sometimes, maybe. But I love the sun way too much. And I can always visit in the snow, just to experience it, but I'm where the sun is :)

Boxing Day

For those of you who don't know - boxing day falls on December 26th, the day after Christmas. When I was young I would ask my dad, why it was called Boxing day - and he replied that it was the day where everyone liked to 'box' each other. OK - so that wasn't entirely or even partially true but as a child that reason was enough to suffice me at the time.

But it was an extra bank holiday day where families could still spend together after the holidays. Upon researching the exact origin of the term, it is somewhat unknown but seems to be related to the fact that on this day families would collect their gift boxes from the previous days. In addition, further back in history, it was a day in which servants were allowed the day off to visit their families and their employers would give them a 'box of leftovers' which they could take back to share with their families.

It is only recently that stores have begun to be open on Boxing day but when I was living there some 10 years ago, on Boxing day it was a day of 'holiday' and therefore nothing was open. I remember it being a little bit 'boring' because the stores weren't open, and it was the day after the excitement of Christmas.

In America the day after Christmas is the start of the sales just as it has begun to be in the UK. Stores open early and people rush from their families to the hustle and bustle of the stores to return/exchange items or just to catch a sale.

Bling Bling for an American Christmas

Christmas in America just as most things were slightly differently. It was on a whole different scale to what I was used to in England.
First of all - Christmas was introduced earlier. As early as November or earlier... christmas began to appear in the stores and even on TV. The day after thanksgiving marked the biggest shopping day in history - black friday as people uses the sales opportunity to shop for christmas gifts (a whole month prior to christmas). In addition sales continued until christmas prompting people to continue shopping.

The cold took a while to get here... and once the cold arrived, it was almost inevitable that christmas was around the corner. Although in Florida 'cold' meant 10 degrees C lol.

The word on everyone's lips was Christmas.... and it became 'a way of life' for a month...

Decorations, presents, colors, and festivities. It was everywhere.. and unlike London, it was not easy to escape.

The houses tended to be bigger here, and thus, the decorations of the houses was more elaborate, but not only that it was a contest - a contest to see who could decorate their house the best. And the display of christmas on one's home demonstrated their christmas spirit or lack of. Almost 95% of houses are decorated here in Florida. There is even a place you can go during christmas to walk-thru and look at the 'best decorated houses'. Its phenomenal.

The above pictures are pictures taken of houses and their decorations.... its magic after all... its christmas.

Christmas and all its bling....London

Christmas is Christmas no matter which country you live in... but the way in which it is celebrated, displayed and decorated can differ...

I remember growing up in London and I knew Christmas was coming not by the weather because it was cold sometimes as early as September... but I knew Christmas was coming by the gifts and the decorations in the 4 floors of Debenhams in the shopping centre I would often reside. The splash of red and green was the indication of Christmas that began to greet me faster than the month of December itself.
Shortly after that the festive colors would start to spread in other stores and then the bright colored light would appear as well as the multiplication of gifts being sold in the stores.
Decoration was minimal (to my memory), or at least compared to what I see now.

Some houses were decorated for the holidays with lights etc.

The best and most elaborate display of Christmas was the Christmas lights in the City of London, most specifically Regent Street etc... Huge department stores would be eloquently displayed with a story and a message. Twinkling colorful lights would be everywhere. I cannot illustrate the bright colors by just my descriptions alone so a picture is the only thing that would do it justice.

Above is a department store called 'The house of fraser' and lights have been showered over this building.

This picture shows the streets of Regent street with its illustrious display of color and christmas festivities. It is usually a tradition for someone of 'certain esteem' to be the one who switches the christmas lights annually.

I remember my parents taking my sister and I out one evening during the christmas season and we would sit in the backseat with a blanket wrapped over us and we would look at all the christmas lights. We never wanted to get out and see them though - it was too cold lol...

To me, this is part of the magic of christmas. The lights, the festivities, but most of all the traditions that we look forward to, and expect year to year.