Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all on GoY!

16 comments

Just wanted to wish you all a wonderful Christmas! I am leaving for El Salvador next Monday and although I will have access to a computer, I don’t expect to have much time to be on-line and definitely won’t be able to upload photos.

This is my Christmas tree – since I’m never here I never buy a real one, but if I stayed I would because I LOVE real pine trees as Christmas tress…but finally about 4 years ago I decided to buy an ornament tree and buy an ornament or two a year. I haven’t bought any this year though so I have to get on that!
It took a while to fill it up but now I have quite a few ornaments:

The purple ornament is the first one I bought:

The tiny snowman and the snowflake were gifts from my sister and her husband, Jan-Kees:

In El Salvador Christmas trees are seen (an American influence) but the real star of Christmas are the nativity scenes. Both my grandmothers had extensive nativity scenes, and the idea is that it isn’t a set, but rather a collection of little miniatures collected from different places…but many come from Ilobasco, a town in El Salvador know for its ceramics and especially its miniatures. My parents were waiting to give me a nativity scene after I got married but as that has yet to happen they finally gave up and gave it to me about 5 years ago. LOL. I like the tradition of nativity scenes and have tried to keep it, adding on to it:

We celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December; we stay up until midnight (OK technically that’s the 25th!) and fireworks go off all over the city to celebate Christ’s birth. Traditionally dinner is served at midnight (no one goes to midnight mass because of the fireworks) but as we have gotten older we’ve pushed dinner back to 10:30pm or 11:00pm. This means that midnight often find us eating, though! LOL The menu varies, there really is no set menu – this year I lobbied for paella, but my brother won – he lobbied for his favorite, mom’s baked ham with spices. Guests often come and visit, sometimes they stay for dinner but most often they don’t, guests usually start arriving around 8:00pm. I’m usually designated to be ready to receive any guests so I have to get ready by 7:00pm! We dress up. No jeans allowed! NO TV allowed! Music a MUST!!LOL It doesn’t matter if guests come or not, we dress up anyway. Some people tend to receive guests and others tend to visit. My parents tend to receive. Most of my aunts and uncles, cousins tend to visit.

Christmas Day everyone gets up very late. In my house we usually eat tamales for brunch with hot chocolate. This is also a day to visit people.

Well, I hope all of you have a wonderful and happy holiday season! I hope Cyril -as Santa’s helper – will be able to deliver presents to all! =)

17 Dec, 2008
9 likes

Comments

Terratoonie

Raquel ~
Merry Christmas.
I hope you enjoy your stay in El Salvador. :o)

17 Dec, 2008

Blodyn

Merry Christmas Racquel !

17 Dec, 2008

Janette

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Raquel, have a great time with your family .

17 Dec, 2008

Bonkersbon

Merry Christmas Raquel - thank you for sharing as interesting to hear how others celebrate this time of year.

Never had a hot Christmas and would feel so strange to have it in the summer months.Cant imagine Father Christmas on a surf board and in shorts - nor can Cyril who sends his love . x

17 Dec, 2008

Mickbmw

raqual seasons greetings,Enjoy el salvador xx mick&elaine xx nearly forgot bill &ben< who might start thier vacation early>if thay go who will talk to all the friends thay have ?

17 Dec, 2008

Milky

Thankyou Raquel, and a Merry Christmas to you and all your family. Very interesting to read your blog

17 Dec, 2008

Clarice

A very merry xmas to you Raquel & all the best for new year,i really enjoyed you blog on how you spend xmas day, i think most of the UK spend xmas with families, but also quite a few people got on holiday over the festive season.

17 Dec, 2008

Mikec

Merry Christmas Raquel.. I really like your tree :)

17 Dec, 2008

Amy

Merry Christmas Raquel , have a wonderful time ,and all the best for the New Year :0)

17 Dec, 2008

Irish

merry christmas Raquel

17 Dec, 2008

Raquel

Thank you all for all your comments and best wishes - same to all!

BB, Santa has to get along in ALL kinds of weather, we even have grey squirrels in ES! DEcember is warm in ES but cooler than most fo the year...perhaps between 23 C and 30 C.

Thank you Mike - I'm always kind of sad I don't have areal one but this one makes me happy too. Your acorn tree looks awesome!

Marguerite, thank you for sharing your traditions. I think seafood would be great at Christmas! If my choice of paella had won, it would have inlcuded sea food. In my house we always have desserts as well, and wine, and food (appetizers) for the visitors (this is how we make it to 11pm!); my mother is not big on desserts so often I will make it. I do think that the Dutch tradition of first and second Christmas Day is a wonderful one - as well as Sinterklaas. We are very big on presents in ES, and Jan's family is not, so that sometimes means an adjustment...But I am fascinated by the Dutch tradition of having real lit candles on the tree! I wish we could do that. =) I think it's great to go to the beach after Christmas, some people do that in ES, but we go in January. Our festive season lasts until the 6th of January, which celebrates the 3 Wise Men.

17 Dec, 2008

Raquel

Marguerite, are pommes noisettes baked apples stuffed with nuts? Or am I reading it wrong? It sounds yummy...

17 Dec, 2008