This morning, December 25, we had our tea, and opened presents with Christmas tunes playing and sunshine streaming in the windows here in San Miguel de Allende, a colonial town in the highlands of central Mexico. Having Christmas away had its ups and downs. There’s the warmth and sunshine, the excitement of new experiences, and then, there’s the missing our routine of decorating, seeing friends, our more-or-less annual party. We talked about having been on the road for almost seven weeks and how that’s working. The first thing we decided was that we liked our breakfast!

We had zuccini flavoured with a little chorizo, and topped with melted string cheese, alongside fried eggs with their orange yolks, dressed with a little roasted chile salsa. It is our Mexican “breakfast special”, full of flavour and a welcome addition to our routine. For me, cooking some of our meals means I can control my carbs and not have to negotiate en Espagnol. I seem to be losing some weight (or inches, at least), although my blood glucose is up about 0.5 mmol/L, which I attribute to lack of vigorous exercise. Although I walk, sometimes for hours, it’s not the same as a step class.

As do many others at this time of year - maybe not exactly today, because of having to roast a turkey and mash the turnips and all that, but around this time - we talked about what we’re doing, the patterns, pleasures, what we miss. This is our first year of long travel over Christmas. My sweetie misses decorating the house, setting up the tree, being surrounded by our stuff. Perhaps I’m not as attached to the routine, or maybe I’m more flexible with routine, or I don’t mind skipping some of the holiday traditions.

As Janna-Marie wrote a few days ago, she always says she’s ready for Christmas, even if she has to delete action items to stay organized - so far, holiday baking and writing cards. The work of carrying the traditions tends to fall to women. I once knew a marriage counsellor who said that in the month before Christmas, every woman said she dreaded the holidays and the men were perplexed. Staying in touch with what I really want to do and not what I feel I ought to do is a challenge, and I admit, being away makes it easier.

Portable routines are helpful touchstones, like giving each other one Christmas eve present. And giving each other a tree ornament. I usually find something at a thrift store, while honey supports retail. This year, it was tin ornaments, ubiquitous in Mexico. Other routines, specially made for the road have potential. We talked to friends this morning, who spend six winter months in Florida. Dianne said her mother gave her a tiny collapsible Christmas tree which they decorated and set up wherever they were. My new earrings would make good decorations, I said!

There are also the local celebrations. Last night we went down to el Catedral, the Cathedral, at the central plaza for the ninth and last posada, procession. Mary and Joseph rode on the back of a flatbed, led by extra-tall cartoonish characters, and followed by a brass band and everyone singing. In the centre of the plaza, the creche scene was set up in the gazebo, and in front, a pen with a live burro, sheep, goats and three kids.

Home through the decorated streets, to a version of pork carnitas with a two-chile sauce (picture: lower right). This is something new to me, a 2-step process to tenderize the meat, and flavour it. The bite-sized pork pieces are simmered in water, then the water is boiled off, and fat added to fry the pieces. Simmering tenderizes the meat, and the frying caramelizes it, a process that maximizes the flavour. Only one pan is required and the flavourful simmering water is not lost - it forms a tasty brown crust on the bottom of the pot. I put two bay leaves in with the meat, although I think it is more traditionally put in the sauce, which I made of soaked guajillo and ancho chiles, pureed with garlic, black pepper, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, cumin seed and thyme. I added zuccini at the end, also not traditional.

Just one thing - need to pay attention to the moment when the water is gone and the fat or oil added, or the whole thing could become a charred mess.

This afternoon, we had a traditional dinner at the Cafe Monet here in San Miguel de Allende. Glazed ham, turkey, and green beans for me. Others feasted on chestnut and squash, dressing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce, followed by pumpkin pie with whipped cream (sweetie had two desserts). After, a walk in the Parque Juarez, where many families were enjoying the afternoon sunshine, kids with their new toys, playing basketball.

A big part of our satisfying day was talking to family and friends on the VOIP phone in our apartment - it uses the internet and is essentially free long-distance! As well, email cards, sent and received, and thoughtful friends sending warm wishes over the past few days have reinforced the connections to those who we care about.

It wasn’t how we’d have done it at home, but as we watched (again) and cried (again) “It’s a Wonderful Life” and thought about what matters, we were thankful for our good fortune.