No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeEditorialHoliday Color, On Your Doorstep

Holiday Color, On Your Doorstep

I was a bit surprised to find a slice of my Midwestern Christmases right outside my door in San Jose. On the surface, it doesn’t feel like the holidays when I’m down in the tropics. Palm trees, brilliant sunshine, and bougainvilleas bursting with color simply don’t remind me of those December days when I trekked through snow and ice in a land where Santa damn well better make sure he’s wearing a heavy coat. Here, Santa should be in a tank top, wearing a straw hat, and sipping a little cup of rum at every house he visits.

But if you’ve been in Costa Rica for a while, it does start to feel like Christmas. The cool December breezes that sweep through the Central Valley mark the beginning of the holiday season. Cars with megaphones on the roof advertise tamales for sale. The streets are packed, as schools are on summer vacation, end-of-year bonuses have been paid, and families flock to fulfill Christmas wishes.

Outside my front gate, there are a couple of bushes sporting red, star-shaped leaves. Poinsettias. During my youth, they were the only splash of color in an otherwise black-and-white landscape, and even then only inside, on the hearth. Today, when I leave to head into town, I’ll look at that little tropical bush and become awash in my ghosts of Christmases past. Then I’ll feel the warm sunshine, smell the cooking tamales, snap out of my reverie, and walk contentedly towards another tropical Christmas.

For information on planting and caring for poinsettias, read Ed Bernhardt’s excellent column. 

Trending Now

Panama Union Leader Saúl Méndez Goes into Exile in Bolivia

The leader of Panama’s main union, Saúl Méndez, accused of fraud and money laundering, left for exile in Bolivia this Saturday. He had taken...

Empty Stadiums and Inequality Mar Women’s Copa América

Nearly empty stadiums, players' criticism of the organization, and demands for equality in South American football have marked the 2025 Women's Copa América in...

Costa Rica Tops Latin America in Attracting Foreign Millionaires

Costa Rica is a country that attracts millionaires. Projections indicate that by the end of 2025, a total of 350 foreign millionaires will have...

UN Denounces Guatemala Over ‘Inhuman’ Indigenous Evictions

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called on the Guatemalan government on Friday to halt the “inhuman”...

Costa Rican Lottery Official Investigated in Money Laundering Case

Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery...

Can Costa Rica’s Blue Zone Preserve Its Longevity Legacy?

The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is recognized worldwide as one of the five blue zones, where people live beyond the age of 90...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica