Visions of Xmas: red and green, colored points of light, perennial silvered orbs and cherished fancies older than my great grandfsther. Faded paper chains and angels from happy years. Candles, trees and boughs, piney fragrance and spice. Music, bells, and song. Rustling tissue secrets, ribbons and surprizes. Carols set in Druid forests, hills, heavens and gothic chapels; stories from 19th cen counting houses and prairies. Snow.
Chrsitmas Eve sunset over the ocean, from our window
Xmas in SXM: Plastic piney roping with red bows are wrapped anywhere, a 30' fully lit tree looms over the casino rooftop , inflated snowmen, santas, angels on street corners and life-size, life-like animated Santas wave from shop doors and open cafes, decked out in snowflakes and blue tinsel. Reggae carols. Sand.
A few desicated balsams are for sale in groceries while artifical firs decorate every shop and lobby. Otherwise, conifers are not found on this island. The casino's street dancing girls come out in scant Santa suits and hats all with fake fur trim and thick, knee-high furry leg warmers over their high heels, and bump and grind to pepped-up seasonal pop classics. Their parents and friends mill about in support and in case they faint, possibly.
21st -23rd
Hannah and Esther have arrived! Let's go to the beach! But the sea is too strong at both nearby Maho and Mullet bays so we drove to the other side of the island to try Orient Beach, the famous crescent of sand on the French side. Then on to the village of Grande Cas and ate ribs and conch at an open cafe and watched another sunset.
After dark (6:30 pm,) we walked around Marigot, the French side capital, to show the girls the town. There was fete on and everyone was out, including the Rasta guy who sells vanilla beans. When we wished him good luck selling, he replied he didn't believe in luck, only in Love, Respect and Ambition.
This was a long, long day and the driving was stressful in the dark. The girls have gotten a glimpse of this place.
Our Christmas Eve
Spent eve's day at the Beach with the masses of friendly Americans here for the holiday. The waves were down from the day before when we were warned of the rip tides by local surfer kids. (They ended up having to rescue 2 young teens who were swept out, we heard)
The sea swells at Christmas/Soltice time, they told us (yes, we watched the eclipse!): Swollen is the best word. By January, it will be calm again, usually.
Normally, it takes only a little time and some attention to figure how to gauge the wave action to enjoy the ocean. With sea swells, the wave pattern is less predictable and the rip is longer and much, much stronger. The waves can get higher than they look like they'll be and the sand is more pulled way back and into them until some waves look like sandy water while others remain clear. Imagine a massive celadon wall of water, rising up with the sun behind it, bodies dangling within like jellyfish, the sand pulled smooth up to its base.
It's fun to be in, but eventually you want to get out. Swelling waves don't carry you like ordinary waves do so you can't just cleanly body-surf in and walk out of the water. The sandy bottom can suddenly be pulled out from under you, making it impossible to gain foot hold before the next wall hits.
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In the evening, the girls made pomanders with cloves and tangerines sold from an umbrella stand. Our decorations were a crocheted lace star from Saba, lacy Flamboyant Tree fronds in a Moraccan vase, small clippings of this and that, some bright red bouganvillea, cards from home the girls brought down and a few candles.
Paul drove over to the airport to pick up Seth, Esther's boyfriend. He is staying downstairs in a tiny apartment we rented from a student away on vacation.
Our dinner included a layered crepes gateau florentine with mornay sauce and mushrooms, a joint effort of crepe-making and shopping. It's from Art of French Cooking, vol 1, and fun to make. Alas, the oven bottom-scorched our cookies (note that cookie dough is interesting when pan fried.) Cooking here is like when camping, inconvenient but goofy fun for being challenging.
We all got pretty sodden with coconut milk-based experimental drinks.
..take the eggs.....
After all was cleaned up, we started to feel a little sorry for ourselves, missing what might be going on elsewhere this night, but there is no church in our village, Maho. We pulled up Lessons and Carols from King's College Chapel on UTube, as were millions of other homesick souls, judging from the speed of loading. Hannah found a hymn site and we sang the carols which still held us: Lo, How a Rose..., In the Deep Midwinter and Silent Night.
The casino and the Platinum Club bounced along through the holy night and I lay dreamless, visions of sea swells in my head.
CHRISTMAS DAY
Despite no sleep the night before, Santa came and filled athletic socks with the bare-bones of tradition: chocolate gelt and a sectioned chocolate orange and a book to read here.
Everyone went to the beach but Santa, who was tired and feeling overworked. She went back to bed and slept when she wan't reading and felt much better for it.
Later, we are excited bacause we have gotten lobsters! Upon thawed inspection, I don't like their looks so much but Esther boils them up. They still took quite a lot of processing and "saving" so we ended up with Lobster Thermador instead of a beast each. Luckily, cream had been on the shopping list and it's only sold by quarts here. And once again, dry sherry saves the day....
Sophie made best-ever potato salad and another tomato letuce salad.
For dessert, a beautiful Pear tarte from Sarafina's!
*** HAPPY CHRISTMASTIDE TO ALL!***
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