Christmas in Mexico...

I was asked today how Mexico decorates for Christmas. That was a tough one to answer. It's kind of different. And I'm sure it varies throughout the different areas of Mexico. I've only been in Mexico twice over Christmas. The first time was on Isla Mujeres in 2007 and the second was in Playa del Carmen and various places I bused through during my trip in 2009.

These are photos from my 2007 trip on Isla. Isla has its own Christmas flavor regarding its decorations...kind of a "kitschy" look, for lack of a better term. They all do their own thing so it's kind of a mish-mash of various decorations.

Pooh.

Combining Santa Claus and Jesus..

This is a private home on Medina around the area of Justicia Social. I love the wooden doors.

Snowman on the beach...

Santa in a window.

A nativity display at the Posada del Mar...

Nativity scene in the church on the zocalo...

Putting away the decorations afterward at Justicia Social from my view at the Bahia Chac Chi...

The swordfish at Picus...

Here's one from Playa del Carmen...

And another. Playa is too glitzy and glamorous for me. I don't like all the high-priced shops you can find in the outlet malls NOB.

This was a shot I took in Coba from the bus on my way to Valladolid. I loved the pretend snow on the balcony rails...especially when it was about 90 degrees outside...haha!

So, in my search for Christmas photos, I came across this one of Cochinita Pibil that I got in Valladolid. MMMmmmm...I could go for that about now. Let's see...how many times have I ordered that in a restaurant around here? Oh, yeah...that would be zero. Kind of like Huevos Motulenos. If you want those kind of dishes, you're going to have to make them yourself...which I have.

Then I found this one. I'm thinking this little lady would make a nice match for the little guy who lives behind my house. Ya' think? Gringo and Gringa...has a nice ring to it, right? Gringo could get back to his roots in Mexico. I bet he would be a happy little guy.

Back to the Christmas decorations in Mexico. This is back on Isla in 2007 on the zocalo. Pretty plain Jane stuff back then.

They really jazzed it up in 2009. I think they had to come up with a blue theme to match the color of the pillars they painted in front of the Palacio.

But my favorite picture is the one I took in 2007, only because of the incredible reflections I got in the windows which I didn't even notice until I looked at the photo afterwards. Kind of amazing that you can see a perfect palm tree, La Luna, and the Virgin Mary on top of the church.

Won't be going to Mexico this Christmas, but I'll be dreaming about it.

On a final note, I saw a link to a little video on the danger of vacationing in Mexico today which had me laughing out loud. Check it out here.

A Gringo Thanksgiving...

Just a relaxed Thanksgiving dinner at the house this year. This was one of our guests. You remember Nutter, right? She lives with Jonathan now, but he brought her by to visit. It's like she's been living here all along and felt right at home. I miss having her around.

But our happiest guest by far was this little guy. We felt sorry for Gringo. Mr. Asshole wasn't home, of course (not that it would matter anyway because he never pays any attention to him), and it got really cold here yesterday afternoon, so we brought him on over. Doesn't he look happy?

Gringo bonding with Jared...

...and Jeffrey...

Yep, he was a happy little camper yesterday just part of the crew. (I don't have a dining room table in this house because there's no room, so we brought in the table from the patio. Haha...kind of small but it worked.) The turkey was great, the company was great...it was a good day.

And here's me doing the dishes.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Taking a break...

Just a note to my readers that I will be taking a sabbatical from my blog for awhile. Just don't have much to report and need to do some rethinking to come up with new ideas while I sort some things out. I will try to keep in touch with my favorite bloggers out there. Until then, I will keep Mexico in my heart. Keep those doorways open and take care...

IslaDeb