Bajagypsy
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Christmas in Baja
It is official, the gypsys will be in Asuncion for Christmas!!!!
I know it is early, but man, after the summer we have had here in Canada, I'm way excited to go to Baja!!!
Anyone else have any plans on being in Baja for Christmas? If you do go to Baja for Christmas every year, do you have any cool traditions that you
do?
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mulegemichael
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beachgirl and i are mr and mrs santa for the kids in mulege...gave away over 700 gifts and hundreds of pounds of hersheys chocolates last year and
visited 5 schools..plus the big blowout at la concha...sweating like a pig but tons o fun!....this is my 9th year as santa in mexico and i wouldn't
miss it for the world!
dyslexia is never having to say you\'re yrros.
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Bwana_John
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Actually we now thinking of avoiding Baja over X-mass BECAUSE of "cool traditions" like 10X more traffic on the road, no gas at some station, long
lines at the gas stations that do have gas, long lines getting back into the US, ect...
Same goes for Santa Semana.
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fishbuck
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I was there last year at Christmas time. I caught the last two yellowfin tuna off the year fishing with Juan.
Best Christmas present ever!
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." J. A. Shedd.
A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. – Albert Einstein
"Life's a Beach... and then you Fly!" Fishbuck
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805gregg
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I went south to avoid a cold Christmas, ended up huddling around the fire in down jackets at Bahia de Conception.
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Cypress
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One thing that you can bet on, it'll be one heck-uv-a-lot warmer anywhere in Baja than in Canada. Might be some bad driving conditions on the way south at that time of year.
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TMW
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In the late 80s and early 90s the wife and I use to spend Christmas in La Paz at the Los Arco hotel. I especially remember in 1989 all the sail boats
with their xmas lights in the harbor and all the guys in the hotel dressed as santa. On a corner not far from the hotel they had a huge pile of
presents they gave out to the kids. A great time.
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Paulina
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajagypsy
It is official, the gypsys will be in Asuncion for Christmas!!!!
I know it is early, but man, after the summer we have had here in Canada, I'm way excited to go to Baja!!!
Anyone else have any plans on being in Baja for Christmas? If you do go to Baja for Christmas every year, do you have any cool traditions that you
do? |
Congratulations! I can feel your excitement. It's never to early to start planning your next trip, be it Christmas or any other holiday.
I hope your first Christmas in your Asuncion home will lead to many more.
We too will be in Baja for Christmas/New Year, I can't remember when we haven't. Our traditions have changed over the years according to my children's
ages and beliefs.
Since you asked about traditions, let me go on to bore you wtih ours;
On our way through Ensenada we'd stop a tree lot and try to find the tree with the most needles left on it's branches to take home.
If we're lucky enough to be in Punta Banda at the right time we help pack the boxes for Sr. Pabloff's distribution to the needy people in the
community.
(At this point in my post I would suggest that you cover the eyes of any child reading over your shoulder who still believes...)
It was a difficult task to hide Santa's gifts in the back of the truck, then sneak out to the garage to wrap them, then hide the gifts in various
empty ice chests, tool/tackle boxes until Christmas eve.
I would also steal away to the mini market to buy Penguinos, Manazana Sol, Mexican candies and seasonal local fruits for Santa to leave in her
stocking.
She would invite the local little girl who lives down the way to come over and bake Christmas cookies for her family, for Santa and make packages for
the different workers that we knew.
She and I would visit the fruiteria for reindeer supplies ie apples, carrots to add to Santa's table.
Decorating the house for Baja Christmas was fun.
We would add tamales to our dinner menu and our friends would come over Christmas Eve, a tradition that they shared with us. It never failed that I
would think that we had enjoyed our last visitor, put on my jammies and we'd get another knock on the door.
*****************
Another tradition I USED to have was to go Christmas tree shopping with Herman in Bahia de Los Angeles. He and I would pack two bananas and bottled
water and head out for K 29, give or take, to find the perfect Century plants to cut down and take back to town.
There would be one for him and one for me, then maybe a couple more depending on how many "orders" we had from others in town.
After we secured our trees in the bed of his truck we would sit on the tailgate, eat our snack as we over looked his Green Valley.
Back in town I would help Herman set his tree up and decorate it on his roof, then I would take mine out to our place where my son would decorate our
tree with seashells and sand dollars.
That's one tradition that I really miss.
*******************
On New Year's Eve we head to town for the children's pinata and the dance. Sometimes we'll take a late nap in our truck on the launch ramp first to
help with the challenge of staying up till 2 am.
Last year we accepted Bedman's invitation to his traditional prime rib dinner so no nap for us, but boy was it worth it!
At midnight at Casa Diaz the handshakes, hugs and many a "Feliz Ano!" are shared with friends.
Here's a flashback photo of my first New Years Eve celebration in Bahia in 1984. Some of you may recognize a few of the faces. Some friends are still
with us, some are not.
Then there is Menudo in the morning with a bit of the hair of the dog to bring in the new year.
One year we thought we would start a new tradition, but realized it wasn't a good idea. We had thorns in the shell of the truck and around camp
forever afterwards.
We used to decorate Hector and Sunshine for the holiday, One year we had a little help from friends. I'd have to take quite a few Santa hats along
each year as it seemed that almost every time into or out of town we would find one or both of the hats would be missing.
We are currently hunting for a new Sunshine for Hector. Since the Diaz ranch closed down, nice donkeys are hard to come by.
************
So there in a very large nutshell you have it.
I wouldn't too concerned about all the other issues that have been mentioned in reply to your post. If you're worried about the ability of fuel, take
along an extra jerry can to two that will help you make it to the next Pemex if you find one out of fuel.
Be prepared for the weather so you won't be caught off guard. There have been years when it was bathing suit/swimming weather and those when we had to
hunker down inside. No matter the weather it's better than being stateside anytime.
Kids + long border waits can be done if you have something onboard for when the "I have to go Potty!" issue comes up. A large coffee container for
each kid, with a seal tight lid works wonders. (thanks Barb for that suggestion)
You'll have a fabulous time.
Saludos and Feliz Navidad in advance,
P<*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Pompano
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Need help in pulling your Xmas sleigh?
Purebred reindog for rent......and she comes with gifts.
.
Easy to feed.
[Edited on 8-23-2009 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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David K
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Nice photos Paulina and Roger.... Viva Baja Navidad!!
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Bajagypsy
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Oh thank you Paulina for your traditions, sounds like you guys have a wonderful time.
The roads won't be to bad, we find that the I15 is kept very well when we travel in the winter, it is just getting out of Canada that can be the
trick!
Pmpano, I love your reindog!
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Pompano
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Bajagypsy, my reindog loves Canada, too. Especially Saskatchewan,
where she is shown drinking a Canadian beer...Pilsner. Cheers!
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Bajagypsy
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Pompano, I noticed the Pil, right away, and just knew it was Canada!
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Bajaboy
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We'll be at our place in BA for the holidays. With Gabriel, our 1 yr old, our traditions will be unfolding and who knows, The Gypsies will probably
be involved. We've found out past holidays in Asuncion involve family, friends, and lots of food. I'm looking forward to more of the same along with
some new adventures.
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wiltonh
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We have spent every Christmas since 2002 in La Ventana Baja which is South of La Paz. They always have a Santa on the beach, giving gifts to the
kids.
Last year a Mexican family was there as their father was doing some work on a motor home. The Americans had brought down the small diameter chemical
lights and given them to all the kids. No one knew that the Mexican family was going to be there so they had not been included. The Mexican kids had
never seen the chemical lights before and they were very interested. We had stopped by the dollar store in the states and picked up several packs of
the lights so we gave some to the Mexican kids. They enjoyed them a lot. This is also a good way to keep track of your friends and kids in the dark.
Here is a list of the other things that we often do each year:
We normally attend a potluck supper on the beach where every family brings some food and shares.
Gift trading exchange. Each person brings a gift and puts it on a table. They draw a number and can take someone else's gift or open a new one. We
have a rule that any item can only be traded 3 times or this will go on all night.
People collect wood and have a big fire on the beach. One person has been chosen to lead the singing and they hand out song sheets. The songs are
Christmas Carols but many of them are done in other languages.
Some of the Americans do some research each year to find some local families that need help. Last year it was a migrant workers camp. They collect
toys for the kids. On Christmas day they take several pickup loads of stuff to the kids. This last year, soccer balls were in short supply and that
was the most popular gift for the boys.
Last year we had a visit by a different Santa. His video showed up on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LNHkQU3Y7Q
Wilton
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Paulina
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Pompano,
Thank you for offering up the services of your purebred reindog as ours isn't quite up to snuff. The Gypsy family would be in a world of hurt if they
had to use ours.
He doesn't come with gifts - he attacks yours.
The biggest problem is that he often falls asleep at the job. Not very safe for sleigh operation.
P<*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Pompano
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What a great Santa's helper, Paulina! Is his name Winston, by any chance?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Paulina
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His name was Charlie, but answered to Charlito Burrito as well.
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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BajaGringo
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Mood: Let's have a BBQ!
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