Last Week
Last week I walked around one area of the colonias in Puerto Morelos with the purpose of looking at the Christmas lights on the casas. I wanted to see how they compared with our lights back in Canada. Well the extent of the decorations was utterly charming.
Canada
Back in Canada, in the small town that I have lived for the last 20 years, the lights are fairly indicative of the rest of the region. Many houses have simple strings of lights, perfectly in line with the roof or windows that they adorn. Some houses display lights in their trees as well as decorations around the front door and porch area. There are also the houses that try and garner a lot of attention, similar to the house in my favourite Christmas movie of all time, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
I think many of us have had a neighbour at one time or another that has vomited Christmas upon their front and side yards! Heck, in my town, there was usually an article in the weekly newspaper, showing a map in which people could use to drive around and look at all the houses with the most extravagantly decorated homes. This was a tradition of years past when my children were little wee ones.
Puerto Morelos
Spending my first Christmas in many years abroad, and in Mexico, I was curious to see what my new neighbourhood displayed. Simply put, the lights were so humble and sweet. Christmas is a special time here in Mexico. There is still a real and strong connection to the religious aspect. The decorations and displays take a back seat so to speak. I only walked around a very small area of the colonias this night, so these photo’s are by no means a large representation. But this is what I found.
Some houses are decorated more than others of course. I noticed that many of the casas had an open aired outdoor area in front of the main door but behind their gate or fence. Often times this area is used to park a vehicle. This time of year however I saw many a place that had a dining table and chairs, beautifully decorated for the holiday. It was also common to see a Christmas tree and many other decorations filling this space. In the cooler evenings, the residents gather here with family and friends to celebrate the season.
It is now Christmas Eve here in Puerto Morelos. I was going to have another walk around tonight to see the lights in this new area I find myself living in. The weather however, much like in my little home town in Canada is not co-operating! We are experiencing a Norte here. Today is day two of three with overcast skies and big bursts of rain and wind. So my plans for this evenings walk-a-bout town might be thwarted. We will wait and see.
