Christmas in California

I've lived out here nearly 10 years and yet, there are still moments of culture shock. One happens every year in fact, which, under close scrutiny, is kind of lame of me, but...I've noticed that lots of people here put up icicle lights on their houses. This was new to me moving out here, and I admit my first thought was "are those supposed to represent...ICICLES? Like, the things you don't get in California outside of Tahoe and north?" For some reason, it just seemed odd to me, possibly because I grew up with the urban legends of icicles breaking off the eaves and driving themselves into your skull (I swear this is true, the older kids would always tell this story). They are not benign creatures, although they are good snacks in a pinch.

Anyway, generally speaking, those of us from northern climates don't know from icicle lights. And every year I am momentarily startled by their ubiquitous appearance. I do, however, like the lights in palm trees. Very festive and far more what I expect to see out here, dammit.