Santa Claus must have some sort of advanced, built-in cooling system within his red coat and trousers. How else could the lovable old furball (sorry kids!) support the Rio de Janeiro summer heat?! It should be, as always is, somewhere around "hot as all hell" when he flies overhead and drops into each house with his bundle of gifts. Speaking of which, in a tropical climate such as this, there are very few chimneys - the old man must have on hell of a keychain! But that´s another subject altogether...
The point is this: A White Christmas is magical. And unless it starts raining talc here, Christmas (Xmas for short) in Rio will always be "just-short-of-magical". I mean, it´s all rather unnatural down here. Want examples? Here´s a short list:
1. Snow - And that would be WHAT again?
2. Pine Trees - Sure, we have the fake ones which we decorate yearly, but if I had to see a pine tree right now I would have to pack.
3. Santa´s "apparel" - The clothes and hat scream heat-stroke. The sleigh is something not far from extra-terrestrial for most brazilians.
4. Jingle Bells - Everybody here sings it (in portuguese!), nobody here knows what the hell it means.
And that´s just the tip of the iceberg. Or, considering the sun and beach for which Brazil is known, maybe I should say "the tip of the sand dune".
On the other hand is New York City. I'll tell you right now: If you ever have the chance, take your family and spend two or three weeks in NYC, Xmas included (just leave before New Year´s - 500,000 people watching a ball drop is about the most foolish thing I've ever heard of). I promise you, it will be unforgetable. Why, you ask?
Cold weather and snow, coats and scarves and mittens, choirs and Xmas Carols, ice sculptures, Xmas trees, lights and decoration everywhere, eggnog, toys, street Santas, Rudolph and Frosty, chimneys and cookies and glasses of milk, Xmas stockings, candy canes, a White Xmas, and a partridge in a pear tree! Just to name a few...
You know what it is? CONTAGIOUS. That´s what it is. There is no escaping it. It penetrates deep inside your heart, it reminds you of what are the truly important things in life, it just makes you feel good all over.
I had eleven such "Chrismasses". I miss each and every one of them. I hope someday my kids will have the opportunity to discover what I was lucky enough to experience. Every kid should. And the big kid now writing these words would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
Merry Christmas
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I am writing from the heart of New York City, and well, it's pretty cold. I don't know if it supposed to snow this weekend, but I hope it does. I like the snow. If it is going to be cold, it might as well be snowing. Most stores you walk into- and coffee shops- are playing the Christmas music. I haven't done any shopping, but I guarantee each store is a zoo this week. Now, if I had vacation lined up, I'm sure I would be much more in the holiday spirit. Nevertheless, it's nice hearing from a cab driver, "Happy holidays", or whatever he said.
Aie! Eu adoro Natal!! Concordo com vc que o Natal nos EUA é bem mais contagiante, principalmente em NYC, mas acho que o espírito está dentro de vc... Enfim, só preciso dizer que o famoso Jingle Bell é aqui cantado como "Bate o sino pequenino" e que sim, a primeira árvore de Natal da minha casa era um autêntico Pinheiro que hoje é enorme e mora lá na fazenda! Bê! Vc precisa colocar uma decoração de Natal na sua casa ao menos para lembrar seus natais americanos e lindos. AH! Tb acho a maçã da Times Saquare muito chata!! Happy Holidays!
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