Feliz Navidad!

Today was day one of two that we’ll be learning about Christmas in Mexico. I started with a brief overview of the holiday in that country (thanks to information primarily found in Celebrate Christmas Around the World)–special foods that are prepared, religious festivals, games, (Turkey and Bunny really want a Christmas piñata someday!), that sort of thing. In particular, we learned about Las Posadas, or “The Processions,” in which families and neighbors process through the streets for nine nights, in remembrance of Mary and Joseph looking for a room in Bethlehem.

We then read a cute story–Too Many Tamales. This is charming tale about a little girl who is helping her mother prepare Christmas dinner, and in the process, the mother’s diamond ring gets lost. Many tamales are eaten before the ring is discovered, and there is a lot of laughter, a few tears, and some very full stomachs!

Turkey and Bunny also colored a picture in their Christmas Around the World coloring books. This is the third year we’ve used these books, and they’re still not complete. They’re put out by Dover Publications, and like all Dover coloring books, they have excellent detail. It’s actually pretty cool to compare the first pictures they colored to the ones they’re doing this year. They didn’t have the motor skills or the patience to really complete the pictures two years ago, but now they’re doing a really good job of getting the detail work done.

Tomorrow, we will continue our studies in Mexico, including the legend surrounding a very famous Christmas flower!