Christmas in Progreso

Well part of Christmas is already here and gone and we are looking forward to the best part of our Christmas this year when Anne Marie, Mike and Cooper come on Dec 28. We are going into Cancun on the bus to meet them and they will be here for almost two weeks. We are excited about that!

The town hall is decorated for the season

In preparation for their visit we are trying to get things ready which is not always easy without a car as we have to walk to acquire most things we need. It is Boxing Day now so I just walked up to the local grocery/general store to get a few things. It is about 8 blocks away as we are on calle 96 and San Franciso is on calle 88. That is one nice thing about here all the streets are numbered so it is easier to find our way around than if they were names.

This lady has been on the same street corner for weeks selling her pinatas.

One of the remnants of the festivities, I saw a few more staggering up the street!

The other thing that takes some time here is soaking everything we buy that is edible or containers we will be using to store food. We soak it in iodine for awhile depending on what it is in hopes of killing all the germs our stomachs can't handle. With Cooper coming I am even soaking the jug we will put his powered milk in as fresh milk is not easy to find here.

The fruits and vegetables still taste fine after their soaking.

We have been busy these last few days...on the day before Christmas Eve I went with a group of people from here to distribute dispensia boxes with basic supplies to a neighbourhood up the road. Nora, a local woman who works for one of the men in the group, brought us to her neighbourhood and organized us when we got there. This group has been doing this for a number of years and look forward to it every year. Nora's family and neighbourhoods were very nice and where we could tried to make conversation. They were also many "mucho gracias " and hugs and kisses all the way round.

Packing up the vans

Nora and her el padre, her  hijo Rinaldo and her nieces

Bea and Dick distributing the dispensias

The neighbourhood...

Nora's sister

Afterwards we went for supper where I had fresh fish stuffed with seafood,,shrimp, pulpo,calamari.It was delicious as usual, served with rice, salad and papas fritos.

Don and I also decided to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve but got there too late as Mass was much earlier than that. The church which is across from the main square was packed and overflowing in the streets where there were rows of chairs set up for the crowd. The mass was also broadcast on a large screen set up outside for all to see. We did eventually make it into the church to watch the blessing of el Nino Dios, the Holy Child that the Mexicans put in their el nacimento in their homes. Baby Jesus is only placed there on Christmas Day and there were all manner and size of dolls brought forward to be blessed.

The crowds outside the church

Lining up with their el Nino Dios for the blessing..there is one dressed in red another in white

The church decorations were also interesting as they had a huge pinata hanging in front of the altar. And of course there was the beautiful el nacimento set up in the back of the church. The people also kiss the el Nino Dios after he has been blessed. The people were dressed in their finest and all the family members seemed to be in attendance.

Jesus and the Pinata

On the way to church we noticed that all the homes had their doors open and their trees and el nacimentos were lit up. These are quite elaborate and are often outside or near the door so neighbours and passesby can see.We wondered about this and were told that they open the doors on Christmas Eve to welcome Jesus in.

One of the Nativities

 On the way back we noticed that the parties had begun. Here after mass families gather for the big meal and drinks. Children have the pinatas and lots of firecrackers that we heard all night long. The parties go on way into the wee hours and then Christmas Day is a day of rest.



On Christmas Day we sat round the pool for the morning, went for a ride on our bikes, stopped in for a beer with our friends up the beach and then took the bus out to Bamboo Beach for a Christams Buffet which was delicious. There were about 80 people there and there was music and lots of drinks. We paid about 16 CAD dollars each for all we could eat and two free drinks. It was a bit expensive for here but we enjoyed ourselves and we did get to have mashed potatoes and turkey. I particularly enjoyed the smoked turkey.Delicious!



Pam and Don at Christmas supper...


On the way back we passed a dance in the square closer to us...there was a great band playing salsa music with lots of people dancing. As we stopped to look we were invited in to the dance floor, but Don declined, ugh!! I would have stayed and enjoyed the music and the dancing.




Dancing in the square,sorry for the poor quality but it was nightime.


So all in all we have enjoyed our Mexican Christmas and are thankful for the internet that we could see our family over the last few days. We had a surprise web call as well when Dawn and her boyfriend Matt called to say they were engaged. Congratulations to them!!!

That's all for now,will post again when we get back from Cancun.