MUNGO EATS Latin America

We celebrated Christmas with the Arévalo family last night.  It is the custom in Peru to celebrate on Christmas eve, not Christmas day.  Most families get together in the late evening, and the Christmas meal is eaten at midnight.  This family moderates a bit, and we ate supper shortly after 10pm, so that by midnight, we were all finished eating and ready to open presents.  I was expecting a HUGE meal, maybe I got Italians and Peruvians mixed up in my head.  Instead it was a moderate sized supper.  We ate chicken and pork (mmm, the pork was to die for), stuffing (made with rice, not bread) and a salad.  Yummy, yummy.  We had canned peaches for dessert. 

When midnight came, people started setting off fireworks in the street.  Some of the fireworks were just little noise makers, but some were full blown fireworks.  The kids thought this was great, fireworks right outside your door. 

After fireworks, it was time to open gifts.  The kids also thought this was great.  You don’t have to wait to open presents??  Sweet!  I made off with 2 very cool nativity sets.  I have been collecting different nativity sets on this trip, and these two are very nice.  One set has the characters dressed in Peruvian Andes garb.  Baby Jesus is wearing a Peruvian toque (chuyo, chullo…I don’t know how to spell this word), and there are llamas instead of donkeys and cattle.  The other set has characters that are black as night, with curly little afro hair.  So cute!

The other funny thing about last night’s celebration was that as soon as present opening was finished, and thank you’s were said, all the guests quickly hurried out and the family was in bed in minutes.  No sitting around, party’s over, time to hit the hay!

A  nice Christmas for sure.  Not a Calgary Italian Christmas, or even a Kelowna Canadian Christmas, but a nice Christmas all the same.  It was nice to be with a family for Christmas, even if it was not my own.  It made being away from my family a little more bearable. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!  I hope you have a great holiday!!!