Christmas preparation

Christmas is almost here in Australia and we are making preparations for the holiday. Like in the USA shops have had their Christmas junk out since mid November and the cities have decorated the streets. Unlike the USA the radio stations are not playing that many Christmas songs and very few people have real Christmas trees. I have, however, heard one song and it cracks me up; here is the link to the video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnJ8jsw4BSo, the video is lame but the song is what many Aussies like. We have purchased a fake tree for $10 from KMART and decorated it with $25 worth of lights and a few decorations I brought back with me on my recent visit to Minnesota. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day (another holiday) and it is supposed to be the biggest shopping day of the year. Between Christmas and New Years only retail shops will be open, but all other business will be closed down. No one will be at Jenny's lab and I have been told that farmers don't really want to have me come by unless it is an emergency. However since I did not work for the three weeks while I was in the USA I need to work whenever I can. Unfortunately Jenny and I cannot make a big trip during that week. We are planning a couple more small excursions and hope to be able to get out of town for a day or two.