Lately, the morning light reveals a deep blue sky with the sun's arc tracking a path that is a fraction further south. The surrounding forest greenery reflects its rays with a golden hue. It's officially the Dry Season! The beginning was happily marked last month with Christmas and New Years days celebrations.
Looking back, we've experienced five Christmas Days in our home with the temperature hovering around 84F/29C, and I smile as I realize that this is not a dream. In these last five years I've come to know that in the "pueblitas" dotting the now dusty roads edging the Golfo Dulce, Christmas Day is about family, and New Years Day is for the community. This year's celebrations were no different.
With no relatives in Costa Rica, we celebrated Christmas along a stretch of palm dotted beach with our "chosen" family. Each year the Christmas Day activities start early. One of the fishermen has a cantina next to his house, and there is a drum BBQ wafting a smoky scent of roasting pork. The long counter of the outdoor kitchen is laden with large aluminum foil pans filled with side dishes of coleslaw, white fluffy baked yucca, and three-bean and carrot salads. A deep cauldron is bubbling with creamy black beans, and tucked away in the back are the Christmas cookies and slices of watermelon, waiting to be presented. It was just after noon when we arrived and the cobalt blue, circular, cement pedestal table, surrounded by four fixed curved benches, were already occupied with friends and neighbors. Their paper plates were piled with the delights from the kitchen. As more people arrive with their culinary creations, the empty foil pans are swapped out for full; everyone bringing a side of their Christmas meal favorites. Long, wide logs of driftwood make handy benches as people mingle, chat, eat, and drink. The music is blaring, so we stand close in order to hear each other and chat in a mash-up of Spanish and English. As the afternoon progresses, a cooling breeze from the Gulf whisks the BBQ smoke away and refreshes our energies.
When the sweets are served, the piñata is hung from the lower branch of an Amendro tree. The bolder of the kids are ready to step up, put on the blindfold, and start swinging. Everyone in the circle is always helpful in directing or misdirecting the hitter while the handler keeps his charge dancing. When that final smack bursts it open, it's a free-for-all in the sand with candy and kids flying everywhere. And when the adult piñata gets hung, there's no lack of volunteers to work out their frustrations on the paper-mache beer bottle. The second explosion is just as crazy.
As the sun's edge dipped into the blue Pacific and the light warms to orange gold, people gather on the beach to belt out a few rousing rounds of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". Then silence falls as we watch the burning gold light infuse the sweep of clouds lying along the blue horizon. It seems the sun's long beam is reaching for us; it's reflection extending across the dark sand appears and disappears as the gentle surf washes it away. As the gold turns to red and into indigo, we smile and hug.
Where Christmas is at the beach, our New Year's Eve was spent in the hills at the home of our closest neighbors. Joyously hosted by the Don and Doña Mora for their extensive family of nine sons, one daughter, and many grandchildren, plus a couple of great-grandchildren, we were honored to be included. On the property where they first homesteaded (living under a tarp roof with a dirt floor) is now a lovely home and large ranchito with palm frond roof and half wall convenient for sitting and chatting. Half of the ranchito is occupied with the food table offering roasted pork still warm from the grill sitting under the twisted Higuero tree, as well as yucca and coleslaw. The rest of the shiny tiled floor is open for dancing. A pedestal-style boom box with pumping speakers plays popular tunes for the under twenty-somethings. Across the yard, the shouts of victory and groans of defeat ring from the garage, where the grandchildren are wrapped up in an animated Foosball tournament. When it's time for Bingo, everyone gathers in the ranchito. Bingo is Doña's favorite pastime, so much so that she organizes an annual fund-raiser at the Church. There are lots of Bingo cards and prizes to go around.
The excitement heightens as midnight approaches. The little ones are buzzing around and waving sparklers, offering a tiny preview of the main event. Next to the house, commemorative photo-taking is being organized. The grandkids are corralled and tiered up in lines as their parents raise their cell phones. Next, the siblings and their spouses sling arms over shoulders to wait as their children snap pictures. Then the elders, Don and Doña and their sisters and brothers, stand brimming with smiles. These photos stand as happy milestones to this family's continuity.
The minutes are counted down as the men bring out the boxes printed with graphics of exploding rockets. The kids try to lean in to see what's in store but are shooed away. At 12:00, the first of the rockets bursts into a sparkling, colored shower over our heads. There are shouts of glee from the children, and the adults smile as the rockets continue to burst in rapid succession, filling the air with light and color. After the last great cacophony fades, we applaud and hug each other.
We are grateful for the joy of family and friendship as we launch into a new year.
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