*******Updated... actually, they were whittled down to fourteen posts...*******
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After three plane rides and a overnight in Miami, we finally made it to Costa Rica in time to relax for the afternoon on Christmas Eve... and prepare for the middle-of-the-night fiesta that takes place at midnight on Christmas Day.
As I was remembering here, in Latin America, Christmas is not celebrated in the morning when all the tiny tots wake up and run downstairs looking for evidence of Santa's attendance... rather, they celebrate with fireworks in the street at midnight, the moment it is officially Christmas.
And then everyone sleeps until noon on Christmas Day.
So where was our little one when the clock struck midnight?
...cozy in his Christmas pajamas, his soft Christmas blanket and his international travel bed, sawin' off logs and dreamin' his sweet little head.
Admitedly, I was a bit jealous. :)
Meanwhile, we had just finished Christmas dinner, at about 11:30 p.m. Yes, we had dinner at that hour of the evening!
And since Christmas trees are not as common in Latin America - evergreens just aren't your run-of-the-mill tree in the tropical rainforest - the presents were piled on the living room chair, equally eager to be opened as if they'd sat under a tree with tinsel and lights.
It was fun to enjoy the giving among new and old family members.
We gave the new parents their first of many diapers to be changed!
It was an evening rich with memories and the spirit of a long-awaited family reunion.
Ok, it may be January 20th, but I just gotta' say it...
Merry Christmas Everyone!