A New Calendar

My readers know that every year I have a custom-made calendar created which features photographs that I have taken on my travels.  Each year there is a different theme.  2025's calendar had pictures of archaeological sites in Mexico.  Now it is time to hang the new calendar for 2026.

And this year's theme (drumroll, please) is...  Germany.

The cover of the calendar has a photo of the pedestrian street which goes through the historic center of old university town of Heidelberg.

By no means is the calendar representative of the entire country.  I have only been to Germany twice, and I have only visited six cities there... Munich, Augsburg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Würzburg, and Heidelberg.  But from those cities, I was able to pick out some nice pictures for the calendar.

January's photo is also from Heidelberg.

From Heidelberg Castle there is a beautiful view of the city, the Neckar River, and the forested countryside beyond.

Best wishes to all my readers for a very happy new year!

A Chilly End

Another cold front has passed through Mexico, and we ended the year on a nippy note.  Last night the temperature dipped down to 41 degrees Fahrenheit.  (Remember that central heating is nearly non-existent in Mexico City homes.) This morning at 9:00 as I was preparing to head to the family house to spend New Year's Eve, the temperature was still only 45 F.

 As you can see from this photo I took of the forecast on the Weather Channel, in spite of the sunshine, by noon it was still going to be a bit chilly at 61 degrees.

Looking out the window, I could see people bundled up in warm coats.  Before leaving the apartment, I put on a warm long sleeve shirt and a pullover sweater over that.  As I walked to the bus station, I almost wished that I had a scarf and gloves.  Yes, I know that as I write this, the temperature back in Ohio is 29 with a wind chill of 17.  A temperature of 45 would be considered very balmy up there.  I don't why, but when it's in the 40s here, it feels colder than that.  I have to laugh at tourists who think that they should pack shorts and sandals for a trip to Mexico City in December.  

The Tent of Handicrafts

In my last post where I was describing the Christmas festival on the Zócalo, I was about to enter the large tent featuring the handcrafts of Mexican artisans.  As soon as I entered I could tell that the merchandise here was handmade and of high quality.  It is a good thing that I had brought money with me, because I went on a small shopping spree.

One of the first booths that I cam upon was of the Servín family, makers of fine ceramics.  I  have always liked their work, and I own a couple of their pieces.  Something I had not seen before were ceramic Nativity scenes.  The fellow manning the booth was a member of the family, and it is his wife, Imelda Servín, who makes and hand paints the Nativity figures.

I couldn't resist, and I bought the smaller set to the right as a gift to take the next trip I make to Ohio.

This booth featured hand blown glass Christmas tree ornaments from the town of Chignahuapan in the state of Puebla.

I had a delightful chat with this gentleman.  His name is Juan Vásquez, and he comes from the town of Temalacatzingo in the state of Guerrero.

Señor Vásquez makes lacquerware and objects carved from wood in his workshop.  I purchased a small jaguar mask to add to my collection.

This lady comes from the town of Amatenango del Valle in the state of Chiapas.  The town is known for its clay figures, usually of jaguars.

I already have a number of jaguar figures from this town, but I bought a tiny one to put with my Nativity scene.  There will be a jaguar in Bethlehem!

This impressive wood carving of the Last Supper was one of the items for sale by an Otomí artisan from the state of Hidalgo.

The famous black pottery of the town of San Bartolo de Coyotepec in Oaxaca

What a cool tee shirt, embroidered by an Otomí artisan!

Among the items that this lady from the state of Guanajuato had were some handmade dolls.  So I bought one for a daughter of a friend.

This woodcarver of "alebrijes" and other figures is named Agustín Cruz Prudencio.  He comes from the town of San Agustín de las Juntas in the state of Oaxaca, and he has won numerous awards for his artwork.

I love this whimsical Nativity scene in which the Holy Family is aboard Noah's Ark and the Three Wise Men are climbing the gang plank.  It's a bit beyond my budget however.  The price is 85,000 pesos... 4,724 U.S. dollars.

I did, however, buy a small, intricately painted bear.

As in previous years, the best part of the Christmas festival is the handicraft market.

Festival on the Zócalo

Before Christmas I posted some pictures on the blog showing the preparations for the holiday festival that was to be held on the Zócalo, Mexico City's main plaza.  I wrote that I probably wouldn't go to the festival this year because it seemed to be the same as it had been the last two years.  Well, yesterday I ended up going downtown and checking out the festivities.  I figured that on a Monday it would not be insanely crowded.

The last two years the festival has been called a "Verbena navideña" (a "verbena" is a street party held for a saint's day or other religious holiday).  This year, however, it is called "Luces de invierno, Festival en el Zócalo" (Winter Lights Festival on the Zócalo).  The name has changed, but it was largely the same.  

One big improvement was made.  Last year the Zócalo was surrounded by metal barricades.  There were only a few places through which one could enter or exit the plaza.  When Alejandro and I were there last year on a weekend evening, the crush of people passing through was terrible. I was afraid that I was going to be trampled.  It was the only time that I have ever felt physically unsafe in Mexico City.  This year, the Zócalo was wide open for the most part.

This colorful gate on Avenue 20 de Noviembre (a street which empties into the Zócalo) was new.

Beyond the entrance was a plant market with vendors from local nurseries.

Entering into the Zocalo...

As in previous years, there were three large Christmas trees created from hundreds of poinsettia plants.

However, the poinsettias were sadly in need of watering.

There was a gigantic Nativity scene...

...with an even more oversized Baby Jesus.

A stage was set up at one end of the plaza, and musical acts were scheduled throughout the two weeks of the festival.

There were two large tents set up with handicrafts markets.  Most of the merchandise in the first tent was low quality "tourist junk".

However, the other tent, which was labeled "Artesanos" (artisans) was a different story.

If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you know me and handicrafts.

This tent was my downfall...

Finishing It

Quite a while ago, I wrote that Alejandro and I were watching episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale", a series based on Margaret Atwood's novel about a dystopian, theocratic society in the not too distant future in which women are viewed merely as vessels for procreation.

(Image taken from the internet)

The series finally came to a conclusion this year with the sixth season.  Back before I made the move to Mexico, I had watched the first four seasons on Hulu.  Hulu does not exist in Mexico, but we discovered that it was available here on Paramount Plus, a streaming service which Alejandro has.  He had not seen any of the series, so we started from the very beginning, watching a few episodes each weekend.  Even though I had already seen most of the series, there was much that I had forgotten, and I still found the show gripping. 

Finally, the weekend before last, we finished it... Season 6, Episode 10.  For those who have not seen the entire series, I am not going to give anything away.  However, I will say the next to the last episode was the most climactic.  The final episode seemed a little bit of a let down.

Those who have not read the novel, may not realize that most of the Hulu series (Seasons 2 through 6) is actually an extension of the original book.  The novel is supposedly a first person narration recorded by a Handmaid.  It had been discovered long after the fall of the theocratic regime of Gilead.  The final episode of the series links in with the beginning of the novel.  The protagonist June has been encouraged by more than one person to record her experiences, and the episode concludes with June thinking out loud, recalling her life as a Handmaid.

The series was created with the collaboration of Margaret Atwood.  She had already written a sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale" called "The Testaments", and she did not want the extended TV series to contradict in any way the events of her sequel.  "The Testaments" (which I have already read) centers on another major character, Aunt Lydia.  Filming has already begun on an adaptation of that book.  It will also appear on Hulu, but I hope that it will be available on one of the streaming platforms that Alejandro has.

  

Santa Time

On Christmas Eve by the time we were finished with our supper it was after midnight.  So we decided to wait until Christmas morning to exchange gifts.  After breakfast we all put on our silly Christmas hats and opened our presents.  This year, I did not go to all the work of wrapping each present individually as I did last year.  I just put them in big gift bags.

It's easy to shop for Alejandro's father.  He always complains about the cold, especially during this time of year.  So we bought him lots of warm, cozy clothing.

Among the gifts for Alejandro's sister was this wrap that drapes around the shoulders. I found it at the market in Coyoacán, and I thought that it was quite elegant.

Alejandro's nephew is getting to the age where it is difficult to shop for him.  He is too old for toys, and on his last birthday we bought him lots of clothes for school.  However, one thing that I always get for him is a calendar for his room.  He, like the rest of the family, is a dog lover, so I buy him a calendar with pictures of puppies.  I found this one in Ohio when we were there last September.

 

Alejandro certainly does not need more clothes.  However, when I was at the textile fair in Chapultepec Park earlier this month, I could not resist this very nice guayabera shirt.

In the large bag of gifts for me, there was something that I had requested... a double boiler for making my fudge.  I had looked in many stores but had not been able to find one.  In fact, the store clerks I asked did not even know what I was talking about.  Alejandro found one online and ordered it for me.  Not a romantic gift, I know, but it is something I wanted.  Next Christmas, when I make fudge again, it will come in very handy.

Even though Santa did not bring anything for the family dogs, Iztac still had a kiss for me on Christmas morning.

More Traditional Christmas Dishes

On Christmas Day we went in the afternoon to visit Alejandro's favorite aunt and uncle.  The apartment was filled with relatives, including the newest addition to the family, their 6 month-old great grandson.  Before we left, one of Alejandro's cousins, Silvia, gave us some food to take home, two more dishes that are traditional in Mexico for the Christmas season... "bacalao a la vizcaina" and "picadillo".  Even though we still had plenty of leftover turkey, we had the "bacalao" and the "picadillo" for our supper on Christmas evening.

"Bacalao a la vizcaina" (Basque style cod) is not an easy or quick dish to make.  The dried, salted cod fillets must be soaked for one or two days. Then the bones must be removed.  The fish is combined with a number of ingredients, including onions, garlic, tomatoes, green olives, capers, and slivered almonds.  (To be perfectly honest, I prefer a much easier and cheaper recipe which Alejandro's mom used to make in which cans of tuna were substituted for the cod.)

The "picadillo" is a kind of ground meat hash combined with numerous ingredients depending on the cook's recipe. I thought that the "picadillo" was very tasty.

Alejandro's sister prepared "ponche navideño" (Christmas punch), another Mexican tradition for Christmas.  The base of this spiced, hot punch is "jamaica" (hibiscus flower) tea,  It is mulled with "piloncillo" (unrefined brown sugar), cinnamon sticks, and fruits such as pitted prunes, guavas and "tejocotes" (a small, tart, Mexican fruit).

Our Christmas, from a culinary standpoint, has been very traditional!