Mystic musings and screwy seasons

So figure this one out. December 7 is the last day of the 2005 school year. However, our Christmas vacation doesn’t actually start until Friday, December 9. Why the missing day?

Ahh, I am so glad you asked.

In a fantastic feat of fetal growth and maturation, it turns out that Jesus was Immaculately Conceived on December 8, only to be born a mere 17 days later. (I suppose this also might help explain how he grew to the age of 30 in the 4 months between Christmas and Easter.) Anyway, being good Catholics, we celebrate Immaculate Conception on the 8^th, withholding any holiday travel plans and whoops for joy in light of our 4½ week Christmas vacation, until after the deed is done.

To throw another wrench in the works, all of a sudden it is summer again. Here in Medéllin we get 2 seasons: winter and summer. Winter means it rains every day. Summer means it is really hot and might rain every so often. November was winter. December is summer.

Good thing Jesus didn’t grow up here, what with the rapidly changing seasons, abnormally short adolescence, trying to cram four years of high school into a couple of weeks (and at a developmentally important time of anyone’s life, mind you), etc, etc. With all the confusion, I guess you got to have faith.