Navidad = Christmas

Happy Holidays! My first Christmas away from my family, snacktivity, matching pajamas, and (fortunately) Flood Town. Getting ready for and celebrating Christmas in Guatemala has been quite an experience!

Christmas here is like in the US, where a lot of the focus is on family and food. We had my uncle and cousins visiting, so we had quite the full house, but we also had enough food to match. My family ended up making about 150 tamales, which we ate for every meal until they were gone. That’s a lot of mushy corn. Kristen also came for Christmas, so she and I helped make the punch and watched a lot of American tv. It was a lot of fun and kept us busy. At one point during the day, I actually convinced my family that I still believe in Santa. Funniest. Moment. Ever. As everyone talked to me and questioned me about how Santa would find me, and my other traditions (leaving out cookies is a really foreign idea to them) I could see them exchanges confused glances. I even had my 5-year old sister come whisper to me “Santa is in your head…” I finally got to tease them as hard as they usually tease me, and it was hilarious.

Later that night, Kristen and I waited up with the rest of the family to light fireworks and sparklers, a tradition I don’t quite understand, but was fun all the same. All down the street you could see other people lighting fireworks, and nearby cousins came by to give a Christmas hug and a wish for a happy new year. The next morning was Christmas Day, and as we watched the kids open the presents I finally realized I’m not the kid anymore. When did that happen????? My family got both me and Kristen high heels for Christmas (luckily they fit my huge American feet!) and I was so touched they thought of us. What good good good people.

I have to admit, I did cry twice on Christmas Eve. The first time I cried was definitely the funniest and awkwardest. Kristen and I had gone to visit some friends in Chiquimula the night before, so we were headed back early on Christmas Eve to spend time with the family. Giddy from exhaustion and missing our families, we got onto the chicken bus at 7am and were greeted by the song “Feliz Navidad.” What luck! Of course she and I sang along as loud as we could, happy that it was Christmas and that we were with friends. However, as the 2-hour journey progressed, things got worse. Kristen was hit with a hangover, and I was hit with…..sadness. After not having thought about missing home too much the preceding week, I finally got to thinking about how much I wanted to be home. The bus pulled up to a town about 20 minutes away from mine, and a young family all piled in. They were poor and dirty, and probably wouldn’t have a tree, much less presents, but they were together. All of a sudden, I looked at Kristen and said “Oh np. I’m going to cry!” And I couldn’t stop! As I was crying, I was also laughing at how silly I was being, probably looking like a crazy gringa and completely scaring the other passengers. It was only a minute, but the rest of the ride was definitely awkward, as I kept receiving covert glances from my fellow busmates. The other time I cried was later the day when I opened a present from my dad and it had a really cheesy Hallmark-style card. I know it was just a piece of plastic, but the words actually did remind me of my dad. Ah, well. I’m such a softie.

Despite being so far from my family, they really went the extra mile to make me feel missed and loved. I got SO MANY packages from my family!!!! My mom sent me a “12 Days of Christmas” box with a little present to open up for each day of Christmas. It was so cute, and really put me in the holiday spirit. It was a little hard explaining to my family why she would wrap a can of pears, but it was funny to me. It was amazingly thoughtful and kept my mind off of being alone. She also sent Mannheim Steamroller and the obligatory terrible pajamas, so when my Guatefamily caught site of me in my bright red onesie, I was called Santa Claus for the rest of the night. Great. I also got knitting supplies, and a crossword puzzle. I’m so cool. From my dad I got a TON of candy, which lasted approximately 3 days after the kids realized how much of it was under the tree. I seriously had enough candy to fill about 3 piñatas, and it was the good stuff too!!! He also sent me more puzzles and some amazing art supplies, so that I can pass my time becoming a budding artist. My favorite present from Dad was a flash drive I requested, but he had filled it with pictures, home videos, and music. I’ve showed all my Guatemalan and Volunteer friends, and even though I know they don’t think it’s as cute or special as I do, it’s fun to show off my family to everyone. I also got a card from my Aunt Carole, even though she was busy getting ready to leave the country too. What amazing people love me! I’m so lucky!

So anyway, family, thank you so much for not just the presents, but your thoughts too. I felt missed and remembered. You guys are the best. I love you so much.

Everyone else, I hope you had a happy holiday season!