Burning the Clocks 2016

Brighton, being Brighton, doesn't have a Christmas parade. As the city with highest proportional Jedi population (as per a nationwide *religious affiliation* census), Brighton prides itself in its quirkiness, it irreverence, its artsy, original, outside-the-box flamboyance. After all, that's what makes it Brighton, that place we love to call home. So when the days grow short and the air gets chilly, Brighton celebrates the winter solstice. In a town full of artsy types, their no shortage of creativity when it comes to the lanterns the locals make and parade through town, all the while knowing the main aim is to load them into a giant whimsical boat and burn them all at the end of the evening in a spectacular show of light and fire.

The Burning the Clocks Parade begins in the center of town, just outside the Royal Pavilion (not pictured).

To celebrate our first Burning the Clocks, Nicolas and I joined two of our friends with a four-person lantern kit and parade wristbands. Noobs that we are, we thought we could just whip together a lantern in a half-hour in a bar before joining the ranks. Let's just say that no lanterns were required to take advantage of our wrist bands.

Brightonians came out in full force for the parade, with more takes on the basic lantern models than I might have dreamt up. The creativity of the inhabitants of my city never ceases to amaze me, even as they know full well that all their efforts are literally destined to go up in flames.

About 20,000 people annually come out for the parade, 2,000 of whom (ourselves included!) march in (or wander in and out of) the ranks. The wristbands ultimately came in handy as we got the front row view of the fire and fireworks show to ring in the solstice. This town may be little at just about 300,000 residents, but it's got one big personality.

The parade ended on the beach, where the lanterns were collected one by one laid in the whimsical boat of dreams, which burned and finally exploded into a massive fireworks show.

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality"

With the Cheshire Cat's words in mind, as 2016 comes to a close, I can only hope my imagination does not fail me now.

Let's not even dive into US or British politics. This was the year I finally escaped academia after more than a decade in its embrace/clutches. I hopped continents in preparation for my big move to the UK, and even squeezed in a quick trip to country #39, Iceland. (Whether Scotland and England should count as separate countries, making Iceland my country #40, has yet to be resolved.) 

Iceland: my 39th (or 40th?) country!

We packed up our life and made it to England.

Road tripping from Denmark to England, our lives (and kitties!) all squeezed in a tiny car.

I allowed myself the luxury of 6 weeks in Brighton before beginning work to settle in. It was enough time to make our house a home, and to fall in love with Brighton. 

Brighton ❤

Unexpectedly, just 8 weeks later, my new career was cut short, on Christmas week no less. It was some comfort to know I was in good company: I wasn't the first new hire let go as the firm prepares to put their workforce "on the beach" while hoping to land new clients for 2017. And so I find myself on my couch, staring down my computer, trying once more to figure out just what I'm doing with my life.

Cat: Where are you going?
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.

-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Hey, at least it's not just me.