December 2007: Aztecas on Ice...

[As part of my backlog catch-up series, this is an excerpt from a recent email]

…So read the headlines of all the papers the day after the massive, outdoor ice rink in the historic city center opened for the winter holidays. Imagine a bunch of tropical Mexicans, many of who have never even seen ice or snow before, on figure skates for the first time, and that was the photo that accompanied the headline. One Sunday after buying at least one of every kind of artisan good (for Christmas gifts) at this new market I discovered, friends and I went to the Zócalo to check out the ice rink. The ice was packed with people of all ages, most wearing thick winter coats, gloves, hats, scarves and probably thermal underwear. I sat in the bleachers (yes, you had to wait in line just to see this spectacle!) with my short-sleeve t-shirt and enjoyed a 60ºF Christmas celebration.

The rest of the Zócalo, as well as every other place in the city, was covered in ornate Christmas lights and decorations, many of them tacky but all of them welcoming a cheerful mood. Streets were lined with vendors selling hot ponche, some kind of punch concoction that I think is made of apples, sugarcane and christmasy spices, but I could be wrong. Star-like piñatas were sold in bulk for the posadas, 12 celebrations leading up to Christmas. My office had our Christmas party at one of our manager’s golf house in the country, and we spent the day outside without jackets on, and the evening around the outdoor fireplace sipping fine tequila. It was wonderful, but it just didn’t feel like the Christmas season to me until my plane landed in the frozen tundra that was Bradley International Airport on December 15 between ice storms. Ahhhh, New England winters…