Welcome December, Culebra Style!

Hurricane season 2012 is officially over as of last midnight (though for many in the North, the reminders are all too real and present)! Even though there is an invest out there that will most likely bother no one. Weird weather continues, brought to you by climate change. Get used to it!


Around here, strings of lights are going up and soon the greeting of Feliz Navidad! will replace Buenos Dias. The plaza and small park across from the pizza place will be decorated with one theme or another (my favorite was the old fashioned Christmas year, my least favorite was the Disney year). Benjamin has a new painting on his wall (not finished, I'll catch that here soon), always a sign of the seasonal change for me.

We don't have snow or icicles or fires warming freezing rooms. The only branches bare are the ones the drought claimed. No woolen hats or fleecy coats, no long socks to borrow for the fireplace mantel. But the aroma of lechon will soon fill the air, bottles of coquito are being readied, pasteles will be wrapped in banana leaves and tied with twine.

So while I don't have the wish for a white Christmas, unless it means the sands of Flamenco Beach, I do, very much, like the very festive side of the season, and I'd better, since it goes on into January. There will be the usual unexpected closings of places we need to go, the complaints about 3 or 4 a.m. music of the parrandas (which I love, so don't complain to me), some longer lines than normal, post office confusion, but overall, this is a really happy time here and there is a lot to enjoy. So do that! I plan on it!

This pretty much sums up Culebra Christmas for me!

And even though I should save this music for tomorrow, I can't wait to do that. So I won't.

One of my favorite winter season music selections. Thank you, George Winston

Have a seasonally welcoming Saturday. Do something keeping it simple...all month.