Christmas in Lake Chapala, Mexico

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Lake Chapala

How long have you lived there?

two and a half years in Mexico

If locals celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah where you are living now, how is it celebrated differently?

Christmas is still pretty much a religious holiday in my part of Mexico, so church-going is big, getting presents is not.

Probably the thing I find most different about Christmas in Mexico vs. Christmas in the US is that, as with other holidays here (religious or national), everyone pretty much does what they normally do. They go to work. Most of the stores are open. Driving through towns on Christmas Day, on my way to friends' house for dinner, there was no way of telling that it was Christmas.

One good thing for local restaurants and grocery stores is that they make quite a bit of money from all the ex-pats in the area by serving or selling things that ex-pats want. Gives a little boost to the local economy.

Do you mix your own traditions with those of your expat location? If so, describe.

Aside from when my son was small, Christmas has never been much of a big deal for me, so I don't have many of my own traditions to incorporate. I give my housekeeper and gardener extra pay on their last working day before Christmas, but that's about it.

A couple of years ago on Christmas, I did a lot of baking and brought baked goods to the homes of my Mexican neighbors. While appreciative, I think they were a little confused about why I was doing that.

What is your favorite thing about celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah in your overseas location?

While Christmas seems to be getting a bit more commercialized here (i.e. right after Day of the Dead, the Christmas decorations began to appear in stores), it is still, as I said, fundamentally a religious holiday here.

Beside family and friends, what do you miss from home during the holidays?

TURKEY! While turkey is sold here in many forms, it's hard (and expensive) to get your hands on one for roasting, as are hams.

How is New Year's typically celebrated in your expat location?

As with any other big holiday in Mexico, you see and hear lots of fireworks and cohetes (bottle rockets times 10). But it's actually pretty low key.