Christmas in Puerto Rico
Puerto Ricans love them some holidays! I absolutely love this place during the holidays. The municipalities go nuts with christmas lights (not always up to code, families get together and neighborhoods decorate for all the celebrating they are about to do for Christmas, Day of the Innocents, Three Kings Day and the Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos. I really can’t describe how crazy it gets…and as long as you don’t have official business to tend to, it is an amazing time to be in Puerto Rico. It’s awesome to see and maybe be involved in a parranda.
Parranda; the Puerto Rican Christmas ritual were groups of people go door-to-door pulling others into the revelries.
In my neighborhood, this usually involves rum or moonshine and often lasts all night. I think it may be part of the tradition, showing up to your family/friends home in the middle of the night, pulling them from bed and filling them with the holiday spirit (as defined by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and getting people out of their comfort zone and into the we’re all family zone. I don’t particularly like being pulled from my routine, but this slap in the face is for a great cause and brings people together…so I am all for it (unless they wake up Sydney 
Last night, Brian and I went to a full moon party that was BYOB, so we stopped by the 7Express Convenience store downtown to pick up some adult beverages and saw a great representation of Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays. Sure, it was a marketing campaign by Coca-Cola (pure genius by the way), but it is Puerto Rico at Christmas time. The only thing missing were the fireworks…which were set off downtown the night before (we had a perfect view from our back deck).
December 11th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
“Merry XMAS guys!”
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December 12th, 2011 at 9:37 am
Yes Stefan, it is true what they say, we are loud
I love parrandas, but it is more than just coming to your house and pulling you out of bed. True parranda groups will not tell you when they are coming to your house, they will just show up anytime between midningt and (I guess) 5am and start singing Christmas songs out of the blue. They will scare the living jesus out of you and then they expect you to feed them and give them rum 
I only have great memories of the parrandas I went to, but you know, back then I was young and careless so I don’t know If I would like to be surprised in the middle of the night now, especially (like you pointed out) if they wake my babies up.
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December 15th, 2011 at 7:18 am
I love your posts! I love the spontaneity in all of them! I tried to figure out where the Coca-Cola propaganda happened but never really recognized the place. Please keep writing!! I’m a writer who gets bored easily but your site really makes my day!!!
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December 19th, 2011 at 9:39 am
Thanks for the posts, they are great! My wife is a puerto rican born spanish teacher up in CT, and it helps with her mentally keeping her island mind set.
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December 27th, 2011 at 2:44 am
Yes, love Christmas time in PR. Everyone is in a festive mood. Lots of food, drink, and singing. We had PR-German xmas dinner of pernil, rice and bean, yucca something (yummy) and our contribution was turkey, garlic smashies (papas), pecan pie, and almond caramel cookies. with lots of wine and coquitos ( egg nog with coconut. I and coo coo for coconut.
Hope Santa was good to little Sydney.
Peace and Love,
liz
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