Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas from Peru! This is the first Christmas I've spent away from home, and while being far from family and friends is hard, it's been fun to experience Peru's holiday traditions and spend time with my host family. Peruvians typically celebrate on Christmas Eve, cooking all day the 24th, going to late-night mass, then coming home to eat a midnight turkey dinner and open presents.

Family dinner: Javi (dad), me, Tana (sister), Lalo (brother), Lourdes (mom), and Rosemary (amiga)

Carving the turkey

Opening presents in the wee hours of Christmas morning

Lourdes was a big fan of the Seattle chocolates :)

It's also amazing to realize how, beneath the superficial differences, Christmas celebrations in different corners of the world are really the same at heart. Peruvians open presents at midnight on Christmas Eve, while Americans wait until Christmas morning, but in both countries kids eagerly await the appointed hour, and family members all buy presents for each other. Both cultures put up trees, although Peruvians' are 99% fake, while most Americans bring in a real evergreen (ahem, Mom). My family's tradition of prime rib and twice-baked potatoes for Christmas dinner is pretty much the same meat-and-spuds concept as Peruvians' meal of turkey and boiled potatoes - the important thing is that it's a shared celebration with loved ones. We drink eggnog, Peruvians drink hot chocolate; we eat red- and green-colored cookies and candies, Peruvians eat panetón - it's the same season of sweets. Going to Christmas Eve mass with half the town of Cajabamba didn't have the same homey feel as hearing Paul speak and seeing family friends at MIPC, or as taking up a whole row with the Madzinski clan at my Grandparents' church, but the idea of celebrating Jesus' birth is the same in Spanish or English. Peruvians aren't as big on Christmas carols, but I've heard translated versions of at least "Joy to the World," "Deck the Halls" and "Silent Night" playing on shop speakers in town - I sing along in English. And obviously the song "Feliz Navidad" applies in both contexts :)