Feliz Navidad!!

Stores here in Peru have not quite caught on to the After Christmas Sale frenzy, much to my demise! Most stores were already marking things down before the holiday so that their stock would be depleted. So my Day After Christmas here in Peru is not quite as exciting as I might like. I missed 6am lines for the limited stock items and the 75% discount on Christmas items for next year.

Being that things are celebrated late on Christmas Eve, I did not arrive at my destination before 10:30pm and even then I felt I had arrived a bit early. At midnight, the air was full of firecracker smoke and popping sounds. It was then that we all headed down the hills to the home where we planned to eat dinner. Yet again, it was though we had arrived early.

Many here in Peru either have too small of an oven or no oven at all, so the turkey is sent out to bake. The turkey was brought home after 1am and then the tables were arranged, set and the plates served. For the second night in a row, I ate dinner at 2am. Dinner was followed by the very traditional paneton y chocolate.

Christmas morning brought about another helping of paneton y chocolate. Instead of doing more dinners on Christmas Day, I rested, relaxed and baked a blackberry cobbler. I enjoyed the movie Christmas With the Kranks along with a snack of chips and salsa. Most of the evening I spent on the phone with family and friends.

Ahora nos preparamos para Año Nuevo!!!