I made our picture card. This is my big Christmas tree in my apartment. If you squint hard and enlarge the picture you can see it. It took a long time getting all our decorations up. Then taking them down…tats another day for all that work. LOL!
Merry Christmas from Teli and Janette
I even made some Hard Tack Candy..known as HEART-A-TACK because when you make it you eat so much that all the sugar makes you feel like your having a heart attack.
I also made Peanut Butter Cookies. The first time I have made cookies in this country in 11 years. I was so proud of myself. Maybe I will make more for next year.
I do not do much for the holidays. I am just not into it any more. So here is a little of what I did do in my own little apartment for Christmas and New Years.
Teli, my dog, and I walked around. I had beer and she had salami or cheese in the Colmado. Sat at the computer worked, played, talked and watched movies. Thats about it. I did pretty much nothing and am sooo content with it. I loved my Holiday time.
Now the video of Teli and I having a good time together. She is such a comedian. She makes me laugh too much.
This is our wonderful Christmas Tree. She is a real beauty. The essence of pine wefted through my home with this baby. LOL!
Trying to get all the lights untangled was a real chore.
Now here is the big one. Taking down the Christmas Tree after the holidays. I was really sweating doing all this work.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and New Year Holiday time. No matter how you celebrate. With friends, family, someone you love or all alone. As long as you enjoy it that is what matters.
Life is soo good! Love and blessings to you all. I hope your year to come is all you hoped for and all you deserve.
Here are bits and pieces of an email I got and because of it I made some new friends. I love being able to make new friends.
First email from Greg:
(edited) I stumbled upon your writing while I’m researching a Christmas gift for my brother’s girlfriend who originates from the DR. She’s new to the family and none of us knows much about her. Your Christmas page was helpful in many ways but I think most helpful by being a friendly voice and a potential advice giver:)
As it turns out, we live in Pennsylvania! (Thanks a lot for including your current temperature on the site!). You’ll be aware that I can’t do much in the way of fireworks here…but I’d like to give her a piece of familiarity as part of her Christmas. I’m thinking about making a special food. Any suggestions about what that might be and recipes? I don’t know her family’s traditions so I’m looking for a truly universal DR food.
Thanks for your time Janette and thanks for such a great website.
I sent him some suggestions about making Sancocho or some other Dominican type food. Maybe getting some Mamajuana or some Dominican rum and got this response:
(edited) I think I’m going to make Sancocho d’Pennsylvania. There’s no cob corn available now and goat meat isn’t readily available….but it is Pennsylvania it is deer hunting season after all so I might adapt with some venison. My thought is that squirrel or rabbit might be better replacements but that venison will be gamey enough as a substitution. We have plantains aplenty though…amen to our diversifying population:)
My favorite thing about that recipe is its size! You can tell that it comes from people who value large family gatherings. There will be about 12 of us on Christmas day and I’m quartering the recipe. I wish there were 50 of us:)
We sent another email or two and we agreed that in PA Sancocho game meat could be a substitute, as the recipe is not set in stone.
On December 24th Greg sent an email:
(edited) Janette….It has begun. Venison defrosting now:) Debbie took over so I’m reduced to writing about the project….but hey, she’s a better chef than I am and doesn’t swear while dicing vegetables:)
I think this is going to work out well. Rick gave me a big Venison roast and probably 20 pounds of pork that his father raised. When I got the beef today, the butcher severely cut his price on the beef (just nice…I didn’t know until I was paying)
Anyway….Christmas music on and dogs asleep everywhere…kids cleaning the play room and Sancocho started. It’s a good Christmas Eve. Thanks for being part of it, Amiga:) Merry Christmas.
The next communication I got had the end results and the picture included.
(edited) PA Sancocho was a hit! Lorena was thrilled and surprised. She didn’t know it was coming but coincidentally had been describing it to my brother the night before.
We made a few substitutions based on availability. We used a turnip to replace one of the root vegetables and of course, the venison instead of goat. The first substitution went unnoticed but we asked for feedback about the deer. She said it tastes just like goat:) I even found fresh corn on the cob:)
The whole family really enjoyed it and my mother’s lasagna went un-eaten….which means I got a lasagna to bring home. (Bonus:)
They got to enjoy their PA Sancocho and all I got was a lousy picture..jejej. I am so happy that I could help them show their new Dominican friend a good Christmas. That was so nice of them to care about her and work to make her feel comfortable and at home.
There are still many good humans in this world and this family is some of them.
It has been going on for a while. All the excitement, noise and craziness of the Presidential campaign. Roads blocked, lots of paid crazies and the political campaigners, helicopters in the sky, people arguing about who is the best and presents being distributed. All this is part of the political campaigning here in Dominican Republic. Oh, did I mention the loudness and all the music? this is fun when it happens in the afternoon but mush of the noise happens in the evening even past midnight.
Sometimes in these processions of very expensive Jepetas (know as SUV’s elsewhere), Hummers down to the local guaguas and public cars with their painted roofs of yellow and green, all take part and join in the hoopla for their chosen party. Sometimes the politicians are even in the parades, waving from the sunroof opening in their painted Jepetas and Hummers. Every where they pass they cause havoc. Traffic jams, noise, people fighting sometimes, there has even been instances where the fights turn deadly.
These are from a few weeks ago, in Santa Barbara away form all the campaigning, and still there were giant traffic jams with the locals direction traffic and I even saw people getting out of their cars to direct the traffic because no one could move. My friends, Teli (my dog) and I just sat there watching, laughing and drinking a nice cold beer (the dog didn’t drink).
This jam lasted for about 2 hours. At one time no one could move as cars were all jammed together in all directions. They think if they just keep moving forward an opening will magically appear. I just couldn’t believe it when they got out of their own cars to direct the traffic as you can see in the one picture.
Twas the night before Christmas Eve in the Colonial Zone. I was snug in my bed with my dog Teli. Just dozing off there arose such a clatter. I didn’t want to get up to see what was the matter, but after the sirens and music came closer I had just to check. I went to the balcony, threw open the shutters and grabbed my camera. What to my wondering eyes did appear but a giant procession of lit up cars with lazer lights-a-flashing and speakers-a-pounding turning from Calle Padre Billini onto Isabel la Catolica. They were wahooing and yeahing all these political campaigning creatures. Not caring about the people trying to get some shuteye. There were jepetas and hummers with shiny bright lights. Then came music and sirens to no ones delight. These noise makers kept rounding the corner. I never thought it was going to end. The sirens were sirening and the car alarms alarming, the people in the vehicles just kept on careening. As they drove off into the night on up Isabel la Catolica on to disturb others in their beds. Distributing their mayhem. They left behind a ringing in the ears and a slight smile on the lips. But worst of all was the car alarms they left ringing. The owners must have been partying in some local bar oblivious that their cars were yelling into the night…for 2 hours!!! Gotta love this country even if you don’t always!
This is the video I took. My camera has not been taking the best videos lately. I think it is getting old and is dying slowly. Sometimes it works well and others it just is.
At least you will get the idea of that noisy night. You might want to check the speakers because it is a bit loud.
The new Presidente Beer/Cerveza commercial promotion. “La noche brilla con una Fría, Navidad Presidente siempre encendía”. Translated it means “The night shines with a Cold Christmas President always lit. ” . I am wondering exaclty what is “lit”…lol.
