HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

'Tis the Season

 

We are between the holidays, at least US holidays, of Thanksgiving and New Year.  The later part of November and the first part of December were quite quiet here; except for Luis and Joannes we had the entire condo complex to ourselves – very tranquillo.  But we did have a couple of visitors.

 

Our first visitor was Flat Stanley.  Do you know him?  The Flat Stanley Project was begun by Dale Hubert, a 3^rd grade teacher in London, Ontario, Canada.  It is a good way to teach elementary school children about the world and its cultures. (www.flatstanley.com)  Flat Stanley was sent to us by our 2^nd grade friend Kelly of Katy, Texas.  Stanley had several adventures with us including a chili cook-off, boogie boarding, scuba diving, and Luche Libre.  We are not sharing everything here because Stanley is in the mail on his way back to Kelly and we do not want to spoil his return.

 

Our more loved visitor was our son Nicholas.  Nick was able to come down for about 10 days.  He did a lot of work on our laptop for which we are very grateful; it is running quite a bit better.  However, a main reason for his visit was to have some dental work.  He visited the dentist five times including a session on a Sunday that lasted about 9 hours!  Six root canals and crowns later and Nick has a much better mouth. (And a dental bill about half of what it would have been up north.) In between visits to the dentist Nick was able to throw some clay just around the corner at the Casa Morada studio of Bob and Anne Milling.  Nick thinks Dr. Adrian will appreciate the clay tooth once we have it glazed a nice off white before we leave.  (Maybe we should put a little cavity in it.)

 

Mrs. T has some thoughts about Christmas at our southern home:

 

 

The thing I miss most about Christmas in the North is the music. I know the songs on the radio, television, and public places can become annoying but I do miss them - everything from Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer to Silent Night.

 

Yesterday some people renting a neighboring condo were playing a Christmas tape out by the pool and I stopped, entranced.  That is not to say that Christmas in Mexico is without music.  Mexico is never without music.  But I often don't know the words.  I like to sing along, in spite of the people nearby, with whatever words I think are in the song.

 

Last week we had a pasada.  There were several pasadas in Bucerias with various sponsors.  Our neighborhood had one supported and organized by the Gudino family who owns our local minisuper Mary Paz.  The pasada reenacts the journey to Bethlehem.  A group of people (including Mrs. T –dt) with children dressed as Mary and Joseph (note Joseph's beard!)  parades from house to house singing,

 

"We are Mary and Joseph, we need a place to stay; we are very tired; we have come a long way."

 

The people in the house sing back,

"This house is full; we are sorry but there is no room for you."

 

The pasada sings back,

"But Mary's going to have a baby.  What are we to do?  Surely there is room for us."

 

The house people reply,

"We're sorry but there is no room; you must look elsewhere."

 

This continues until at the last house where the people respond,

"This house is very crowded but we will find room somewhere.  Mary and Joseph - come in, come in, it's very cold out there!"

 

The pasada enters the house and then THE FIESTA STARTS!  There is food and drink for everyone; clowns, games, songs, and of course piñatas.  What fun!!  The breaking of the piñatas starts with the youngest children.  Each child gets three or four hits before the club is passed to the next person.  (We left the festivities at this stage as it appeared the piñatas would not be broken until midnight. –dt)

 

We enjoy the different customs here.  The nacimiento - nativity (Nacimiento de Navidad -dt) - is an important part of most households.  Often they add more people and animals every year some of them related to the Bible story only loosely if at all.  I asked one of my Mexican friends about the elephant and he explained that when the three wise men came, one rode a horse, one rode a camel, and one rode an elephant.  I am very fond of elephants so I immediately started looking.  So far I have gotten the elephant and the camel but no horse.  Dan was somewhat skeptical of this explanation and thought it was just an excuse to buy another elephant. (I have quite a few)  But I looked at the nacimiento at church and sure enough there was an elephant with a wise man on its back.  (The Baby Jesus is not added until Christmas.  –dt)

 

Many of the Mexicans get their presents from the Wise Men on Twelfth Night but we are going to get ours on Christmas Eve.  I am not totally acculturated and not at all patient.  Perhaps there will be fireworks.  (Usually there are not until New Year's Eve.  –dt)

 

As Tiny Tim said on a long ago Christmas Day, "God Bless Us Every One!"

 

And a Happy New Year!

 

 

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

 

Some pictures:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/9151458@N07/sets/72157625530200113/