floundersgreatadventure

Ok this week is Thanksgiving and although they don’t celebrate the holiday down here they do celebrate Black Friday. I find it somewhat depressing that holidays meant for family are now turning into non holidays. We see more and more stores opening earlier and earlier for the sales, some even opening on the day itself. The Christmas season starts in lat August now with stores fully decorated for Christmas way before Halloween. Halloween is referred to as children’s day down here in Colombia and it pretty much is about the kids. But the retailers make it difficult to find costumes as they are all ready displaying Christmas decorations. It seems as corporations are running and ruining the Holiday season. If you live in Colombia and need a last minute Christmas decoration all I have to sac is good luck. Most Christmas items are removed by Dec 11. as for the people they begin to party and drink on Dec. 1. A really surprising thing about Colombia, a Catholic Country, is that Christmas is not a big deal in the Church. On Christmas eve. And Christmas morning people are parting to much to worry about church. It seem the holiday represents some sort of Olympic event with people seeing just how much liqueur they can consume and still stand up. Now I expect this kind of behavior on New Years ever but not on Christmas eve. Kids are given their gifts at midnight and then left to their own devices as their parents proceed to get stupid drunk. Christmas morning just means the party continues usually to around 2 in the afternoon. Then a deathly quite descends on the area until New Years. When I was a kid Christmas was a wonderful time. My father would seal off the living room two weeks before and secretly create a Christmas spectacular with trains and lights and gifts surrounding the tree I´ve tried to keep it going but it’s a losing battle especially now that I’m in my 70´s. I will say it the saddest part of getting g older. I my youth there was always a feeling of depression the day after Christmas but I find it hard to deal with the before even more now. Well we’ll at least have Turkey and instant mashed potatoes, instant gravy and frozen peas at Thanksgiving this year, it’s my curse to want this time of year to stay the same as it was when I was a child. This is Flounder and Fats saying CIAO from Medellin, Colombia and enjoy your Turkey day.