Lost in Mexico - Nochebuena, Feliz Navidad y Feliz Ano Nuevo!!

 Ok so we will continue with part 2 of December and the holidays and get everything up to date, so I can slack off again for awhile lol.

As I said we were getting ready for the Christmas festivities.  We decided to buy a little tree and decorations to put up and place the Santa Sacks under it.  Dana was adamant that it was her job to decorate the tree so I left it be and finally had to push her to stop tanning and put it up on the 23rd.  Well she got the lights on it, then kept trying to get me to do the rest.  I kept saying no as I have to cook the dinner, except for the things she had to have her way.  So in the end Dana completed the tree and I brought out all the gifts for the kids to put under it.  As you can see tanning and swimming was first priority, so this is the way you decorate a tree in Mexico!  We went out shopping and got the turkey and the last of the items we needed for the dinner, stuffing fixings, some veggies and any last minute beverages as we were unsure if there would be a no sale day due to the holidays.  I started some prep on the 23rd and got all of the bread ready for the stuffing along with the onions and celery and spices.  I chopped up all of the veg and had them ready in a pot with water so I didn't have to worry about that.  Just the potatoes to peel with the help of Dana as they were new potatoes and a thin skin and I don't play well with knives (no peeler) and the turkey to prep and cook the next day.

On the 24th, I cooked the sausage for the stuffing and got it ready for the bird.  Cleaned it, cooked the giblets for the spoiled princessa and got the turkey in the oven.  Everything else was ready to go when it was time, so we sat down to relax and wait for our friends to arrive.  Puppy enjoyed her cooked giblets and they were gone in a heartbeat.  Dana got her brussel sprouts done the way she wanted them and got the potatoes ready.  We were enjoy a drink and a friend I had met in Merida called to say he was on the Malecon with his son and asked to stop by so I invited them over for some Christmas cheer and then of course offered them to stay for dinner as they were not planning on having one at home.  Eventually Ismael and family arrived.  The boys are all very quiet, even when playing and his little girl, Aithanna is the sweetest little thing.  Dana took the boys in the yard and was trying to teach them horseshoes with a plastic set she brought with her.  Eventually I called all of the kids to the tree and got them to find the bag with their name on it.  Nothing was very expensive but they loved the novelty of the Canadian items and enjoyed the small gifts that we got for them as well.  Glow sticks that Lorie send were a hit.  Aithanna was hugging both her stuffed cat that Krystal sent for her and her little pony that we got her.  She sat with Dana and had to open and check all of the items in her bag and then spent some time colouring in her book.  The turkey turned out amazing and everyone crowded around the table and enjoyed the dinner, most of which was new to them.  The stuffing and gravy and the brussels were a hit for my friends son.  He told Dana repeatedly how great they were.  Dana and Jess(Ismael's girlfriend) cleaned up the kitchen after I served a festive cake for dessert.  We sat and talked for a bit and then Ismael et all needed to leave.  I'm not sure if he had to take his children back to Merida or not but he did have to get ready for work that night.  My friend and his son left shortly after that so Dana and I could get ready and prepare for the night ahead.

In Mexico they celebrate Christmas on Christmas eve and they call it Nochebuena.  It is the main celebration which is marked by a family feast, midnight mass and gift giving as well as FIRECRACKERS!!  This is what we were getting prepared for now as we knew it would not be a good night for the Princess.  There had been some small ones going off over the course of the preceding week but tonight would be one of the worse.  We had the music up loud and were trying to drown out the noise to no avail.  Sure enough, puppy became anxious and was pacing, panting and circling worse then I have ever seen her.  I decided to go to bed and get her in my room with the tv cranked up in the hopes of settling her down.  Nothing was working as she climbed on my head, pulling my hair, standing on my arm and the nightstand.  She tried to hide in the closet until a really loud one (like a bomb explosion)

went off and she came flying out of the closet.  I finally gave up and found the gravol and fought her to get one in her.  It took a while but eventually it kicked in and I had to make sure she was still breathing cause she turned into a dead dog laying beside me, but I would finally be able to get some sleep at 4am.  She ended up hiding by my pillows behind my head and falling asleep as in the picture before she finally moved and was flat out beside me.  I knew that fireworks are expected in Mexico and it would be a challenge for puppy but this week was going to be the worse for her as the firecrackers will be every night for a week.  Thankfully, they weren't too bad in our neighbourhood leading up to New Years.  I went to the vet and asked for something to help her get thru New Years as again it would be mayhem at midnight.  The vet gave me 2 pills and said to give them about 10pm so that they would take effect and she would be calmer at midnight.  Well I was contemplating a bit earlier and just I was thinking of it a few started.  So it was now pill time.  I managed to get one into her and then the fight was on for the second one.  Eventually Dana who couldn't believe how hard such a little dog could fight, went to the kitchen and mashed up the pill, mixed it with some chip chip and put it on a cracker and she ate it!!!  Thank goodness.  I was trying to wait until midnight with Dana but they were starting to be more frequent so I took puppy to bed with a loud tv and hid away.  She actually did pretty good considering the people across the street were letting them off in the street and there were a few doozys.  She paced a bit but laid on the floor for the most part and eventually when all was quiet she did come to bed and settle around 2 am.  I have one more dose from the vet in case I need them and may go back and ask for more for the drive home to help her out.  I'm not sure if the same happens at Easter which is a 2 week party here called Semana Santa but if it is then I will definitely need more to get thru that holiday before heading home.

Christmas day Dana and I opened our sacks and decided to have Mimosas.  We went thru 2 bottles of Prosecco while talking to our families at home.  New Years morning we just had coffee with tequila crema and another quiet relaxing day.  On the 2nd, I woke up at 3am with a crippling pain in my sternum.  I did not feel nauseous but tried to throw up, nor did I need a movement.  I took a gaviscon to try and calm it, thinking it was heartburn but nothing was calming it down.  I could not get comfortable and was near tears. Around 8 Dana came in and she got me the gravol that was downstairs and |I took that as I was sending messages and cancelling appointments that were booked that day.  Thankfully and I don't know why but the gravol worked and it knocked me out.  When I woke the pain was gone.  I stayed in bed until the next day but still had sore ribs (like if you have had a huge coughing fit or dry heaved for hours, yet I had neither)  It was really quite strange but I am back to normal for me.  We have been pretty lazy since the holidays but are about to get back at it.  We are heading out today for laundry, some groceries and lunch.  Tomorrow we are getting our nails done and then we will see what the rest of the week/end brings.  I would like to make a plan and go off exploring somewhere so we will see what happens.

So to all of you back home that are freezing, we are thinking of you and are not envious of your fabulous weather.  Merry Xmas and Happy New Years from Mexico.

Bromas y Deseos from Kahlua and I