Christmas in Tabuga

“Nieve si existe? Snow really exists?”
Well yes, I explain to the 5 year old. Her eyes go wide.
“Pero, solo en el Polo Norte, donde vive Papa Noel. But, only in the North Pole where Santa lives, right?”
There is snow there, I tell her with a smile, and also where my parents live there is snow. I go on to explain hats and mittens and snowmen and really warm jackets. The girl stares at me in disbelief. She looks to her mother and her mother nods. It’s the truth. The girl happily runs off to grab a piece of candy. I get AJs attention and tell the story.
“Well, imagine if you had always lived on the equator, it would be impossible to fathom snow actually existing. The coldest it gets here is 60 degrees.” I let AJs words set in.
Yeah, it’s hard for me to even remember snow and that much coldness. I think for a second that I miss it and then I remember putting on a sweatshirt and long pants last night and AJ pointing out it was probably 75 degrees and I was cold.
Throughout the holiday festivities I tell probably more than 10 people about snow. AJ gets very charades on us and demonstrates the making of and the height of a snowman he once built in his yard. This particular snowman sported a case of beer and a shotgun. Our 37 year old friend stared at AJ in disbelief; I took a New England post card off my wall as proof of our claims.
“Es como las películas de Navidad. It’s just like Christmas movies.”
AJ and I danced until about 5 am on Christmas Eve bouncing between 3 different Christmas parties. Unlike last year’s big community dance, this year people celebrated in smaller groups because no one had enough time or money to build the nativity scene near the soccer field. But, like every year in Tabuga, families ate dinner at midnight on Christmas Eve, drank a lot of aguadiente (like moonshine) and danced until morning. We spent the majority of our time with my best friend Geomaira and her family. It was hilarious to see Geomaira get tipsy and giddy over the moonshine mixed with coconut. Usually she, like most women in Tabuga, doesn’t drink and remains pretty reserved in public. But, during special holidays this always changes. Geomaira’s aunts were walking around serving small cups of beer and aguadiente and asking the men to dance.
The next morning, after just 2 hours of sleep we woke up and had a mini Christmas at our house. Kara came over and opened the stocking her mom had sent her and AJ and I exchanged gifts. I was ecstatic over the plastic drawers AJ got me. An unremarkable gift in the states, but, a treasure here because of the price of plastics and the desire to protect my underwear and clothes from rats, cockroaches and other such pests. AJ and I posed by the shiny new plastic for a picture. Kara burst out laughing. You guys are going to look back on this picture and be amazed at how pumped you both are about plastic drawers.
The rest of the morning we handed out gifts to the little neighborhood gifts, 50 in total. The boys got cars and action figures, the girl’s bracelets and hair ties. We decided to go with traditional boy girl gifts and the communist idea that all people receive the same benefits.
AJ and I spent some time at the Reserve and went into Camarones in our Christmas gift from our buddy Greg… an old windowless, topless, rough old land rover. It’s been a blast to have a car around here, even a semi-toy car that requires a manual hand pumping every third time we want to drive it. We have helped people move stuff around, helped out a bunch at the reserve and at my farm. Oh yeah, the farm. That will be the next blog.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all of you that live where there is snow… make a snowman in our honor.

I made the sash for the little christmas princess. They start them so young here!
Me posing with Kimberly. Her mom is amazing and a good friend. We are two christmas princesses for sure.

The Christmas Fairy and Papa Noel. Wow did AJ overheat in that suit!

AJ with little Karina... she was also a Christmas Princess. I even let her play with my Fairy wand.

Kara and I with Don Chinto, Angel and Javier. Everyone in town thinks it's hilarious that Don Chinto has two Gringa Daughters.

Posing with the best Christmas gift ever! Even the neighborhood kids were excited!

Alex and Sivana. We didn't get any sleep and these kids were bundles of energy!

Angel with his Pinocho book. He didn't even know how to count past ten when I got here. Now he reads and does long division!

Pushing the land rover out of the river. It got us to Pedernales today... let's just hope it makes it to Canoa to be with it's rightful owner on Thursday!

Me and the neighborhood kids sitting in the living room.. I was explaining to them how Papa Noel had visited the night before and left a bunch of gifts for all of our little friends!