Signs of the December holidays are appearing around town. I wish Southern Californians would remember they don't live in a snowy, winter wonderland. Snowmen just don't fit. On the other hand, since poinsettias are from Mexico originally, they seem a more appropriate Christmas decoration. The bleachers for the Rose Parade on New Year's Day started going up a month ago.

In Zambia, flame lilies bloom in December, a beautiful Christmas flower.

[Edited 1/22/06: Removed image and instead linked to flame lily image on James Warwick's site.]