Christmas in Chile

Christmas was something else down here in Chile. Besides it being summer and super hot, and being away from all my family, there is just not a whole lot of Christmas vibe in Chile. It’s just not that big of deal. Like Christmas fell on a weekend this year, and most the country only got Friday before off, including students. But my little family I have here in Chile decided we would have a great Christmas together. So first was the decorating- Nick and I went down to the largest street market in Santiago and in the heat of summer, drinking smoothies, we pushed through the crowds to purchase the most cheesy Christmas décor you can imagine, including out blue tree and lights that played music and lit up with the music. My mother sent stocking with our names on them, and we purchased a few others for our friends who were joining us on Christmas morning. We all bought silly gifts and filled all the stocking and had a blast creatively wrapping them just like I always did with my family back home. On Christmas morning we had us, plus a few friends from various countries, and a couch surfer from Brazil who landed at 7am on Christmas morning in Santiago. We made our own egg knog (because they don’t have it in Chile) as well as our own home made whiskey hot apple cider (spice thanks to my mother) and of course mimosas. So it was a delicious morning to wake up to. We had everyone come to our house for HUGE brunch and also keeping up with recent family tradition- we had French toast casserole. Presents and stockings were next. Everyone got pool toys and water guns (because it was our first Christmas in the summer), lots of alcohol related gifts, and the traditional socks, underwear and office supplies for everyone. After that we headed to a Christmas pool party/BBQ on a friends apartment roof top. So up 20 floors in the center of Santiago we gathered with about 50 people from all different countries to swim, eat, and hear about Christmases around the world. It was something else working on my tan on Christmas, and the sunset was perfect. And then I went and packed because the next day Katelyn was flying in and we were going adventuring together.