Our first Panamanian Christmas has come and gone like so many others in my lifetime, but we had some interesting serendipities along the way this year!
From December 19 to 27, I launched my new poetry book, Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry. I’m excited to say that the launch broke records for my poetry books with 1192 downloads! You can still get the e-book for $.99 for a limited time.
Our Christmas Decorations
Thursday, December 18
Because I had been gone until December 1st to the states, I hadn’t done any shopping for Lin, and we kept talking about it but finally put it into action.
We drove into Boquete together, but then we separated and went shopping for each other. I had an enjoyable day shopping at La Reina, a department store, that reminded me of stores in Trinidad, Colorado during my childhood. I shopped at other shops featuring local artisans. Lin and I rejoined and had ice cream to end our shopping day.
Friday, December 19
Lin and I had wanted to take an evening to go to the plaza in Boquete to take pictures and walk around downtown, so we decided it was time. We left home at dusk and headed towards town, noticing an unusual amount of cars and people heading into Boquete and then in Boquete. Something big loomed ahead of us.
When we arrived at Restaurante El Puente, The Bridge Restaurant, and parked, I texted Jason, our Panamanian friend to see what was going on.
He replied, “The Christmas Parade.” So, we ate a delicious meal and walked over the bridge to stand for about an hour and half to see just the very beginning of the parade. Festive high school bands entertained us. A beautiful horse farm had a float in the parade, and the horse’s black color and high-spirited nature stood out in the Christmas lights.
Because I’m still recovering from the dog attack, we had to leave early because the standing hurt. So at 9:00 PM when we left, cars lined up to come into the city, and we passed families bundled up in coats and blankets headed into the festivities. This parade didn’t end until after midnight.
What a great Christmas family celebration it was!
Saturday, December 20
I attended Fr. Tom Weston’s recovery retreat that started Friday night, continued all day Saturday and Saturday night and ended Sunday. The hosts asked me to share my story at the open meeting Saturday night—what a privilege that is always! Three people shared our recovery stories and each had something unique to tell!
Sunday, December 21
Sunday morning I finished Fr. Tom’s retreat, and during the afternoon I watched football. I’m an avid Bronco fan, and repeatedly this year, the games have been down to the wire, except for this day. Jacksonville Jaguars beat us easily which ended our winning streak.
Monday, December 22
Normally, I bake pies and lots of different Christmas candy, but I have had trouble finding supplies and ingredients here in Panama. I did find chocolate chips, but they were expensive. So at first, I didn’t buy any, then I decided to try one batch. I couldn’t find salted peanuts at the big grocery store, so I bought a Trail Mix that sounded interesting. So I melted the chocolate chips in the microwave and added the Trail Mix. The consistency didn’t match my regular chocolate-covered peanuts, but it was okay.
In the meantime, we needed to go to Ivan’s to buy a light bulb for our kitchen. Adjacent to Ivan’s is a smaller grocery store. They had Hershey’s chocolate chips and salted peanuts, too! Yahoo! So I bought enough to do three batches.
That evening, I had a Virtual Book Launch Party on Zoom which I love to do—sharing my poetry with the world.
Tuesday, December 23
I baked two batches of my new concoction, and they turned out great. Lin had to go and get enough for two more though.
Later that evening, Kenny and Lorrie Cote invited us out to eat at an Israeli restaurant. What a delightful evening we had, sampling a variety of delicious food and enjoying wonderful conversation.
Wednesday, December 24
So I fixed two more batches. You may wonder why so many—we had three workers here in our compound and an uncle we wanted to give goodies to this holiday. We have two neighbors also who we really enjoy and wanted to treat. And we have Jason, our tour guide turned landlord, too. Also, Lin and I wanted a few for us.
Lin joined me at 7:00 PM our time to attend Hope in the Desert Episcopal Church’s Christmas Eve Service coming from Albuquerque, NM on Facebook Live Stream. What a beautiful service it was!
We ended the evening with a Christmas movie.
At midnight, we heard fireworks going off and went outside on our porch to see. We had a bird’s eye view of the city and the lights. In front of us, multiple fireworks exploded. Then to the right of us and behind us. What a celebration of our Savior’s birth. Very different from the United States and another serendipity. The displays lasted for about twenty minutes.
Thursday, December 25
We started the morning off with fruitcake and Panamanian coffee, while we opened our gifts. We both had surprises for each other.
For our Christmas dinner, we had a delicious meal with all the trimmings, prepared by a company here that Lin used for his Thanksgiving dinner. Then we added pecan pie (I didn’t bake it, though!) to the meal to top it off.
I messaged family members and loved ones back home. In the afternoon, I called my brother.
It was a football Christmas which I didn’t like really, but the Broncos played and we won! Yahoooo!
Friday, December 26
Because Lin bought me the exact same blouse twice, we went to Boquete to exchange one. Afterwards I treated him to ice cream at our favorite shop. While there, we enjoyed a lengthy conversation with a woman and her daughter from Costa Rica.
That evening we went back into Boquete to look at Christmas lights and enjoyed a coffee at our favorite coffee shop, Kotowa. We had another serendipity: a large Panamanian family of about twenty people were trying to take a family picture in front of the Christmas tree in front of Kotowa’s as a selfie. I offered to take their picture—their gratitude for my gesture surprised both Lin and me!
To end the evening, we stopped at another plaza. We found two more restaurants to eat at that we had visited before, but everything looks better at night. Also, they both are on the Caldera River! The decorations captivated us!
Saturday, December 27
Saturday evening at 9:00 PM, we enjoyed cheering for Jason’s basketball team that plays in a town team league. The camaraderie amongst the players and fans has solidified us as strong fans! The locals greet us each game like long-lost friends. Many of the team members, especially Jason, thank us each night for coming to the game, and they won last night!
Finally,
Christ is the same all over the world. We saw celebrations of His birth like we do in the states—the same exuberances and joy! I marvel at the similarities and the differences each country has.
I hope your Christmas holiday was as wonderful as our first Christmas in Panama.
Our Christmas Newsletter
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My Newest Books
Time Measured Out!: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #2 – $.99 for limited time
Is My Truth Universal?: A Woman’s Poetic Odyssey e-book – FREE
Was It a Dream?: Navigating Life’s Journey Through Poetry, Book #1 – e-book or $3.99
Hair on Fire: A Heartwarming & Humorous Christmas Memoir e-book on sale for $1.99
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