This Christmas was what we hope will be the first of many here in Mexico. Naturally it was not at all like the traditional ones we have had in the past! Later in the afternoon on Christmas Eve we had a visit from our landlady’s friend Linda. Linda had collected us in Puerto Vallarta to take us to the rental we have here in Bucerias because the owner is back in the USA. Linda is great fun and an invaluable source of information about Mexico and Bucerias in particular.
Linda was with her husband Lorne, her son Tony and Tony’s partner Josh (who had both arrived to spend Christmas just the day before.) Tony and Josh decided to stay for a beer and sent the parents on their way to prepare for Christmas Day. They only live about two blocks from here. We had a great time with them. Both live in Birmingham Alabama. Tony is a pediatric neurologist and Josh is a Spanish professor in the university there. Before we knew it midnight had come and they had to get home.
Christmas morning was quiet! No phone ringing constantly, no tree, no turkey to prepare and best of all no snow or rain! I gave Gail one lone DVD and she gave me a Christmas ornament. If it wasn’t for Santa Lea and Dale who had sent a huge gift and care package to us before we left Victoria to take along, we would not have known it was Christmas at all.
Never mind. In the afternoon, we took the bus into Puerto Vallarta to have a real turkey with all the fixin’s dinner at Café Roma. Fox had closed the restaurant so he could host a friends and staff Christmas party. He provided all the turkeys and ham and everyone brought a pot luck to share as well as a $100 peso donation to the “Children of the Dump” foundation in Vallarta. I made real Newfoundland cod cakes as I actually found salt cod in the supermarket last week! They were snapped up quickly while the turkeys were cooking. We had a blast. There were over ninety people and I think we knew about 20 of them- so it was a lot of fun. The very hard working staff all brought their families, so there were little Mexican kids, teenagers and grandparents there. Mexican’s celebrate on December 24th rather than Christmas Day. This was very evident going home on the bus in the dark later at night because the streets were filled and the shops and stores were all open as if it were a regular day.
Tony and Josh had arranged with us to spend Boxing Day on the beach. They had never heard of Boxing Day but agreed it is a very sensible way to spend the day after Christmas! We were on the beach at 10am and had to drag ourselves back to our little casita by 4pm so I could be home to receive my phone call from the family in Newfoundland. We had such a fantastic day with them which dragged on into the late afternoon. They finally went home, showered and were back by 7pm with Linda and Lorne in tow to take us out to dinner.
We went to one of Linda’s favourite restaurants in the little town square. The restaurant had a special evening event to celebrate the day after Christmas. It was a Mexican buffet with wonderful Aztec costumed performers dancing, singing and chanting a traditional celebration of thanks to nature. The food was fabulous and the company even better!
