is where you find it

[bantha_fodder]

Yuletide assignments are out. If you are my author, you can find my letter here, I wrote it last week.

**

There have been some yuletide icons floating around that people have made, and recently there has been a lot of discussion of assumed knowledge and of 'cultural norms,' some of it related to yuletide and some of it not. chomji posted some icons here earlier in the month, and I recall there was some concern that some people might be upset over the Hanukah icon. The thing is, whilst the whole secret santa concept stems from the Christian/Christmas thing, everyone's yuletide experience is different. During the yuletide kerfuffle, someone commented that they always explicitly ask for no Christmas stories when requesting their stories. It had never occurred to me that people might ask for Christmas stories during yuletide.

My December 25th: I wake up and sulk that the stories don't come out until at least GMT -5, and since I'm at GMT +8 that's a long wait. Usually my partner and I meander out, blinking in the bright, early morning light. We sit under the patio at his parents' house, coughing as my partner's father burns stuff on the barbie and contemplating a morning swim. We go up to visit my parents, who love giving presents for a million reasons, and use Christmas as a reason to spend a ridiculous amount of money (second only to the amount of money they spend at Chinese New Year). We meander home. Sometimes we sms friends, see if anyone is up for a visit to the beach.

Then I get to read the yuletide stories.

The point of this is that when people post their yuletide icons, I'm kind of like, stars and snow, that's great, whatever. I've blogged previously about this dissonance, people talking of snow all the while I'm sweating like mad. So, like a dork, I rummaged through some of my photos from last year, and have made some yuletide icons that are far more relevant to me than those usually are. I would love it if anyone wanted to use these (if you do, please comment to let me know), but I understand if they're not really your thing.

Also, I don't want to encourage the stereotype of Australians and bright sunny days and beaches and things, but this is what I do December through January, I'm not going to lie, so.

I'm not cutting, because there's only eight of them.

Comments

[lyamainu.livejournal.com]

While I don't live in Australia, I do live in Texas, and your pics are much, much closer to our Yuletides than any of the "White Christmas" stuff you see everywhere else...

[alias_sqbr]

Heh. I need christmas icons of sunny days...outside my window :) I'm not big on the outdoors.

Hmm. Summer fruits and big hats are possibility, though.

[sajee.livejournal.com]

I love you.

No, srsly.

[elynross.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say that I think these are a *fabulous* idea!

[elke-tanzer.livejournal.com]

This is awesome and I've kind of been hoping that someone would do this. *glee*

Now I'm realizing that although in my mind, Yuletide is snowed in with a woodstove blazing, I should take some photos of Christmas lights strung on palm trees here in Los Angeles and make some Southern California-themed Yuletide icons...

Thanks so much for doing this!

[bethbetter.livejournal.com]

Excellent points you've made! And even though I will probably be buried in snow on December 25th, I'm snagging that first icon - because it's awesome. ;)

[lazigyrl.livejournal.com]

Ah but since yuletide and it's association with snow predates Australia knowing of such seasons, you are battling a long standing history. :)

Very nice icons. I thought I'd miss snow at that time of year till I spent the several seasons in Florida with my parents (they being Snowbirds - retired Cdns who head south for winter). I kept insisting on going to the beach each Dec 25th, because we could and enjoy it the way it should be.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Hee, that's fabulous. Actually, there was a discussion about this in the long fandom_wank thread about Yuletide - about whether southern-hemisphere people are offended by snowflake icons, or by the "Midsummer" ficathon (for a set of Canadian fandoms), and so on. So, yay you for making Yuletide icons that are relevant to all those disenfranchised Australians!

[vass]

Good job. I especially like the beach cricket. Very much in the spirit.

[ranalore.livejournal.com]

As a San Diegan, these look much more like Christmas as I know it right now. *G*

[apathocles.livejournal.com]

Now, those are Christmas icons. *g*

[nyssa23.livejournal.com]

Terrific! As a native South Texan who now lives in Southern California, I am also not familiar with this thing called "snow." Sadly, I have no room for more icons, but just wanted to say these are awesome!

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

I think you're a genius, frankly. Though I do live where Yuletide time is cold and potentially snowy, it's great to remember the participants live all over the world, and that for some Christmas is a summer holiday. Brava!

[automaticdoor]

I'm from Florida. These are *awesome*. I'm snagging a few with credit.

[melanie-anne.livejournal.com]

Awesome icons!

I'm South African, so the whole snow thing is strange to me too. :) Thanks for posting these.

[lferion]

*Waves from southern Arizona*

Awesome icons! Thank you :-). I've snaffled #2 and will credit with glee. We do get snow here occasionally (about once every 3 - 5 years) but shiny blue skies and fountains are much more like it. I do have a pic of a saguaro with snow on it....

*Wanders off thinking about AZ specific icons*

[aquila1nz.livejournal.com]

I took one of the beach ones, thanks.

[bell]

Southern-hemisphere appropriate icons yay! :3

[sarren.livejournal.com]

Brilliant, thanks! I was going to be cheeky and ask if the 'Me *arrow* Perth' one was shareable, then I realised it wasn't a Yuletide one *g*

YAY PERTH.

[chaosmanor.livejournal.com]

hi there

echoing sarren (hi sarren) with misplaced squeals of joy at someone making a Perth Yuletide icon, then discovering it wasn't, it was just a Perth one.

So, there's at least three of us from Perth doing Yuletide? Excellent.

[wren-chan.livejournal.com]

Squee! Many thank yous!

I hail from Houston (Southeast Texas) and while I've seen snow, it's only because I visit places like Colorado. Thus I snag your #5 icon, because it looks wonderfully like a scene from Hermann Park in my hometown. Sankyuu!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Hee! I live in Los Angeles, and that's pretty much my Yuletide experience too. Though nights can be pretty cold by the end of December, the days are usually still warm and sunny.

we don't want no holly, or no mistletoe / we don't want no christmas tree with artificial snow

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

beach yuletide icons = love. (Also, I totally feel you on the getting up on Christmas morning thing - NZ's about as far ahead as you can get without it actually being yesterday. :P)

[brightbear.livejournal.com]

So, I was heartened by your summer-Yuletide icons. Thought the pics were nice. And hey, that looks like King's Park...

Then I read the comments and realised it actually was King's Park. Mind if I borrow number 2?