“You can tell a lot about  
a person by the way they  
handle three things:  
a rainy day, lost luggage, and  
tangled Christmas tree lights.”
Maya Angelou

Rainy days? No problem. Lost luggage? Gratefully, I’ve never had that experience. Tangled Christmas tree light? Grrrrr!!! (This is precisely why we purchased a Christmas tree with the lights already on it.) But let’s talk about rainy days for a bit today.

The iconic song “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” was famously sung and popularized by Bing Crosby in the 1940s. It became the best-selling single ever, written by Irving Berlin. While hearing the song evokes wonderful memories of my childhood, I have never experienced a white Christmas, nor do I expect that I ever will. I grew up in San Francisco. I’ve lived fifty miles south of The City, in San José, California, for more than fifty years. Simply put, we don’t get snow. Well,… there was a bit in 1962, and again in 1976, but generally speaking, the only snow visible in the Santa Clara Valley is on the peak of Mount Hamilton and the surrounding hills a few times each winter. That’s more than enough for me.

This part of California is well-known for having a pleasant climate, and rightly so. Summers are rarely too hot. Winters are rarely too cold. The rain we get here is greatly needed and much appreciated when we get it. Despite these delightful conditions, people often speak of “good weather” and “bad weather.” Is there really such a thing as “good” or “bad” weather? I don’t think so. Weather is neutral.

While some people savor the warmer days of summer and autumn, others prefer the cooler days of winter and spring, even if those days include rain. I happen to prefer the warmer sunny days, but I thoroughly enjoy experiencing rain, especially when it is substantial, even stormy. There’s something about looking out the window and seeing the trees thrashing about in the intense wind with sheets of large raindrops cascading from the clouds.

The forecast for the next week indicates that we will be getting rain every day, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Does this put a damper on Christmas? For me, no, it does not. I’m sure that this forecast is a disappointment to those who are planning to visit the traditional Christmas in the Park displays in downtown San José this week. It also might be a concern to those worried about whether or not Santa Claus will be able to safely make his rounds on Christmas Eve. Somehow, I’m confident that he will find a way to make it happen. He always does. 

The lyrics of a 1960s song by The Damians might bring comfort to anyone distressed by the current forecast:

Without clouds,
the rain can’t wash the land, 
without rain,
the grass won’t hide the sand. 
Without grass,
the flower’s bloom won’t grow, 
without pain,
the joy in life won’t show.