Seasons Greetings to all my viewers and listeners around the world. I just can’t believe another Christmas has come and gone. It seems like when I was young Christmas took an entire, painstaking, slow year to arrive, while nowadays it keeps coming around what seems like every three months. I just remember packing away the tree and decorations (yes in the caribbean trees are artificial)….
We had our Christmas party where we invite our friends and family on the 22nd, instead of the usual Christmas Eve and I think that will be the new plan. Normally my husband and I are up till 5 in the morning, packing away food and tidying the house for Christmas Day. This way the party went on till 3:00am and for the first time I had caterers. Every one loved the food and commented on how delicious and tasty everything was. I asked them to please let my husband know so that I would not have to cook again.
I decided to have a band of Paraneros over to entertain the guests. Paranderos are people who sing parang songs which are spanish christmas songs. Well the band was supposed to have comprised of 9 players and only one sole parandero arrived at my home. Needless to say I was disappointed but realized in that moment there was nothing I could do so just accept everything happens for a reason.
During dinner the sole parandero started playing his cuatro(like a ukelele), itwas very mellow to say the least. My eldest son and his friends decided to save the day and support the parandero and they each grabbed a bottle and a spoon, a half empty botlle of nuts, a grater and a fork and the back up precussion was born. The driver who arrived with the original parandero was so impressed with the young boys he went to the van and instruments began to arrive - a box base, a chac chac, a tamourine and then there was no holding them back. Talk about making lemonade from lemons. They made songs up on the spot, the antics were hysterical and they played on and on and on till 3:30 in the morning.
This is what Christmas means to my family spending time and sharing with people who are important in our lives. We missed all our family in other countries and those who could not be with us.
It turned out to be a most enjoyable party, extremely interactive, delicious food, fabulous company, lots of drinks, and a Christmas to remember. So when life gives you lemons make lemonade or as it is the Christmas season, when life gives you eggs make eggnog ( or ponche creme - our equivilent) !
Warmest Wishes from the Caribbean and may peace, joy and abundance wash over you and yours for the Season.
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