You know Dasher and Dancer and Santa and Peppermint.

Stockings and Sleigh Bells and Cookies and Mittens.

But Do You Recaaaaaaaaaall…

The most surprising holiday of aaaaaaallllll?

Christmas in…July.

Yep dear readers, it is halfway through the year between present dropping sleigh adventures, the naughty-and-nice list is still in rough draft and reindeer bootcamp isn’t for at least a couple months.

But here we are in the depths of a comeback. We can’t make the whole year without a holiday cheer revival. And those that want to participate can anticipate what is still 5 months away.

In the US, it is so strange to thinks tinsel and ornaments with the sun shining. I guess my question to my friends down under if it is weird to see Santa in his red suit while there is snow falling, or it’s just blasted cold out. And not in his surfing speedo and shades.

I’ve seen your holiday cheer!

And I live in Las Vegas, so snow is not on the list of possibilities. But we have a mountain nearby. And it’s not +100 degrees (Fahrenheit, 38 Celsius) in December—usually.

So—surprise!—Christmas when you’re sweaty! Is happening here right now.

And I know it is more of a promotional gimmick with movies and TV shows. Getting people in the buying mood as they are nostalgic for a hot cocoa in time that is comforting and not involve nose perspiration and the need to stand in front of the air conditioner.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Not so much.

But what a lovely, unexpected happy thought. For someone that loves Christmas, like myself, it IS a wonderful but of unexpected hopefulness. A cozy mental place to lean on, a reminder that this fun things is coming and will be here again.

A Happy Surprise.

Just make sure to hydrate.

And I love that in books too.

(Was that too abrupt of a segue?)

( I mean I am usually pretty good at mixing my non-adjacent topics, melding with the book theme pretty seamlessly. In my opinion. This one felt a little…startling. Like hearing sleigh bells on Christmas Eve.)

That surprise of juxtaposition of something I wasn’t expecting. In a very good way.

Like…a good mystery right smack dab in the middle of space.

Science fiction? Awesome.

AND a mystery?

A crime to solve? A puzzle to work out? Bad guys to thwart?

Bring. It. On.

Well, I’d almost say, that’d be like Christmas.