Christmas in Cordoba

This year we decided to stay in South America for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.  With a house-hunting trip scheduled for later in January, we figured it would be a good opportunity for us to travel and see a bit more of the beauties south of the equator while we still had the chance.  Our families were a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be with them during that very special time of year, but they understood and were looking forward to our visit just a few weeks away, especially since it meant that we would be preparing for our return to life in the U.S.  The boys were also a bit sad to be missing time with their cousins and extended family, but we explained that it is okay to do something different once in a while, and that the trip we were going to take was going to exceed their expectations.

Our first stop in our travels was Cordoba, Argentina to spend Christmas with my relatives.  I’ve only spent Christmas in Argentina once – when I was 8 years old.  I have so many fond memories of that one holiday I spent with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins – it is definitely the childhood Christmas that stands out the most in my mind.  Thirty years later (gulp!) I was excited to actually be with my own relatives again, even though so much had changed over the years, not to mention the family has shrunk considerably.  We left Sao Paulo on December 20^th – as is normal for air travel, it took much longer than expected (I won’t bore readers with the details of the delays), and 18 hours after leaving our apartment, we arrived at my Tia Pola’s house near midnight!  The heat was bearing down on us – they had recently had temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit – and no A/C, of course!  Due to the late hour, we ate a light dinner of “Sanduiches de Miga” (yummy thin sandwiches) and veggies and went straight to bed!

The next few days were spent lazily lounging by the pool and hanging out with aunts, cousins, and a few friends.  Ian and Alex made friends with some neighborhood boys and swam and played games (soccer, football, tag, Marco Polo) with them for hours at a time.  When I asked what language they were speaking to communicate, Alex answered, “Portuñolish” – his own word for a combination of Portuguese, Spanish, and English!  I love how they have learned to adapt – and kids speak the universal language of “play”.  We were enjoying our time, but really noticed the differences in what we are accustomed to this time of year – the heat, no carols being played on the radio, the lack of familiar traditional foods (such as Nanna’s party mix!).  It hardly felt like Christmas time – the only reminders were the few decorations that my Tia Pola had put out in our honor, including a huge poster of Santa Claus with an English “Merry Christmas” greeting! 

In swimming trunks on Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve arrived and temperatures soared into the upper 90s – the kids spent the whole day in the pool with the neighbor’s boys.  Karina and her niece, Azul, surprised us with a visit that afternoon – while the kids played (not necessarily together!), we sat and drank mate and laughed and talked for a couple of hours.  We thought of Matt’s family, who were gathering at his Aunt Kaye’s house for their annual Christmas Eve celebration, and of my mom, who had gone to spend the holidays with my brother and his family – I thought of my dad, who was spending Christmas alone (as he says is just the way he likes it, but I don’t believe him), and of my sister, who was celebrating with her husband’s family in Virginia.  We were all scattered, but felt like we were together in spirit – I know the boys were definitely feeling the absence of their cousins, imagining all of them running around and preparing for a requisite early visit from Santa Claus. 

Toasting my Tia Pola

  

Dinners are always served late in Argentina, and as is the custom there, Christmas dinner doesn’t even get started until 10:00PM or later.  The boys were completely exhausted by the time everyone arrived (Cecilia and her family, and Liliana and her daughters joined us), but they were determined to stay up and watch the fireworks we had promised they would see at midnight.  Alex didn’t make it past 10:30 – he barely ate a bite and fell asleep (in a very awkward position) watching TV.  Ian, however, forced himself to stay awake, and looked completely bored and miserable – he was definitely missing “home”. 

Alex crashed!

Matt was charming and acted like he was perfectly content, but I’m sure there was a part of him wishing he was in Charleston, WV celebrating with the rest of his family.  Midnight finally arrived, and we propped a ladder against the side of my aunt’s house and climbed up onto the roof to get a better view of the fireworks that were starting to go off around the neighborhood.  Ian, who could hardly keep his eyes open, climbed up and recorded some of it to show Alex in the morning.  Our “festivities” wrapped up at about 3:00AM, just as a very welcome wind storm blew in and cooled things off significantly. 

Watching fireworks on the roof

We spent Christmas day with my cousin Karina at the home of her parents – their whole family was there, including Christian’s girlfriend and her kids, as well as Jose Alberto with his new wife and baby. 

With Karina and Maia

As usual, my Tio Tito and Tia Elsa prepared enough to feed an army and we ate too much – after sitting, eating, and talking for several hours, we headed over to my Tia Chiquita’s for one last visit before departing for Patagonia the next morning.  This Christmas was definitely different than any other we had spent as a family, but it meant a lot to me to be with my own relatives – and it taught the kids that there can be a Christmas without all of the other things to which they have become accustomed.  However, next year we may appreciate those carols, the party mix, and even the cold a little bit more!