From orange and black To red and green

Colombia does not celebrate Thanksgiving, as you probably already know. I have, however, been invited to celebrate it with a missionary-friend that lives here in Bogota who works with the Presbyterian missions organization. That will have its own blog later.

What I really want to get into is the fact that Colombia does celebrate Halloween and Christmas. Halloween is a bit different in the fact that the kids don't go trick or treating from home to home. Instead, they go from business to business. If you own a restaurant, shoe store, hair salon, or telephone repair shop, you best be stocked up on candy every October 31st. And what do these dressed-up little munchkins go around chanting? The Spanish version is as follows...
Quiero Paz, Quiero Amor, Quiero Dulce por favor! (Give me peace, give me love, give me candy please...) It sounds better in Spanish. And so, after the night of costumes and candy is over, people retire to their homes to try and calm their children down from bouncing off the walls.


The next day, as you go about your business walking down your normal streets, you notice an unusual hustle a bustle....busier than the regular chaos that is Bogota......Green and Red are going up EVERYWHERE!!! Because we don't have Thanksgiving, they just move right on in to Christmas. The shopping malls of North America are NO MATCH for what this city is transformed into every Christmas. I had heard of its magnificance but had never lived it. The pictures I am showing are the ones I got off the internet but as we continue into the Christmas season, I'll put up some of my own. I can' do it quite yet out of sensitivity to all you North Americans that might stone me if I post a Christmas song or something until after Thanksgiving (Jill, Mom, etc). Though I should mention that I have already bought Faith Hill's new CHristmas CD and listened to it twice in its entirety. Haha...sorry Jill! Well, that's it for now! Enjoy the pics!


p.s. I may not be IN the USA, but please know that I recognize today's significance as you all go to the poles. Please know that I am praying for you and the outcome of this election.

QUOTE “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
John Quincy Adams