The house is decorated, the tree is up, poinsettias bought and Christmas lights are burning brightly. My shopping has been started if not finished and menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are in discussion and meat ordered.

My husband has recovered from his cold and I have doubled up on my meds. Just to get through the festive season you understand.

This should be a joyous season of warm feelings, gratefulness and kindness to all but somehow it has become a very stressful season. It is after all a very special birthday celebration and that should be where we put our focus.

By all means shop ‘til you drop and have wonderful meals at home or out at our fabulous restaurants here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala but remember also the real meaning of Christmas and help those less fortunate than ourselves in any way you can.

I promise you that the feelings you get from helping others will more than make up for the stress of the season.

For example tonight there is the 2nd Annual Holiday Fundraiser for the benefit of Love in Action Children’s Shelter hosted at a beautiful, historic home. Your contribution of $1,000.00 pesos per person includes Hors D’Oeuvres Buffet and Open Bar and a musical concert performed by the children. There may still be some tickets available if you call Michael Schaible at 766-5997.

Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas to all!

Our daughter had been cleaning out her room and had found some real gems. Everything now is digital but there is something very nostalgic and warming to hold a real photograph in your hand.

These pictures dated back to when our children were born and many wonderful family events at my husband’s family’s ancestral home in Omemee in Ontario, our country house in Cookstown, Ontario and my sister’s cottage on Loon Lake in Ontario. Every week-end the family was together at one of these get aways.

Birthdays, Christmases and other notable dates were well documented by lovely pictures and wonderful family functions.

Three, in particular, caught my eye. One was the living room of our country house with my husband, son and daughter playing video games at Christmas with the beautiful fire place my husband and I had designed and had built showcased nicely. This fireplace was spectacular. We found the maple mantle at a designer outlet and personally selected the dark green marble and slate and found the fire screen at an antique store.

The window in the picture my husband and I had stripped and it looked out over our snow covered one acre pond. What a wonderful place for our children to play and for family to visit. We had four magnificent Christmases there complete with candle lit carol services at out little local chapel.

The second one was at the “farm” which was my husband’s family’s week-end retreat. It was a picture of my husband, one of his brothers and then girlfriend and me playing cribbage at the dining room table. It must have been pre children judging from my slim figure. All of us have the same curly hair and were very focused on our game. We were very happy.

The third one was a picture of my daughter on the terraza here with two of our wonderful street dogs that have passed on. There was Norma, a Doberman/lab mix, and my sweet little Scruffy, almost a pure bred miniature Schnauzer.

All of these pictures brought a tear to my eye as I remembered what a wonderful childhood our children had and how much love there was and, of course, still is.

We were and are very lucky. We are very happy as we enter this festive season with our best friends and family coming home. There is truly no place like home and nothing is better than sharing this holiday season with friends and family.

My daughter is busy making collages of these photographs she found so others will be able to enjoy our very special family times in Canada and now in Ajijic, Lake Chapala.

Feliz Navidad a todos!

There is a guy from New York who makes the best meatballs you have ever tasted.

Here are some more of the items available:

Handmade Crafts for Christmas
Necklaces
Scarves
Hats
Decorative Items
Soft Stuffed Animals
Jewelry
Organic Beauty Products
Purses

Sauces, soups, middle eastern food, cakes, pies, gluten free products, Weight Watchers food with points, cookies (my favorite were the delicious oatmeal), preserves and pickles, organic wine and coffee from Oaxaca and, of course, the simply spectacular Slice of Heaven cheesecakes.

All prices are very reasonable and it is a great place to do your Christmas shopping and perhaps indulge in a treat for you.

All the booths have friendly staff and are very eager to help and answer questions.

I liked a lot of the handmade Christmas decorations and wreaths which would adorn any home and make it very warm and Christmasy.

Come next Monday November 21st from 10:00 am – 12 noon and see all the wonderful selections for yourself.

See you there!

When I go on my daily walks with my dogs the weather is magnificent and although it may be a little cooler at night and in the mornings, afternoons are still warm and sunny.

The yellow flowers have not yet appeared on the mountains heralding the end of the rainy season but they will pop up any day now. You would think this might be a cause for melancholy but, for us, it is far from it.

American Thanksgiving signals the onslaught of the snowbirds and, therefore, the “busy season” which all businesses look forward to with anticipation.

Christmas (Navidad) is a most wonderful time in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, and for that matter in most of Mexico. The posadas, lights, church bells smells of holiday cooking and noche buenas (poinsettias) which are in bloom everywhere make everything seem truly magical.

There are many events to see here and in Guadalajara. One of our favorites here in Ajijic is the Cascanueces (The Nutcracker) which is performed by school children and staged at the Auditorium in La Floresta sometime mid December and masterfully directly for years by Wayne Palfrey. Even though our children, now grown, no longer perform in this wonderful production we still enjoy attending it as a family.

We know that although the weather may get a little cooler in the evenings and one may need a sweater or sweatshirt we will not need hats, scarves, boots, heavy coats and something to scrape the ice off or our windshield. There will be no putting up of storm windows, snow shoveling, exorbitant heating costs and dangerously icy roads to navigate.

Friends and family come for the winter or just for the holidays and there is a wonderful expectant anticipation in the air.

Christmas trees will be put up and decorated with eggnog and carols. When we were first here one had to go to Guadalajara to purchase a Christmas tree but now they are available several places lakeside including Superlake and Walmart.

From now until April is a beautiful time of year and there are so many wonderful things to enjoy in our village in the sun, Ajijic.

Our kids always like to do something for the orphanages and assisted care facilities by either taking food and cooking a meal or delivering baskets full of Christmas goodies. This is a wonderful way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

God bless us one and all.

I have been on most of them from Fit for Life, to the Grapefruit Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Atkins Diet and countless others including the infamous Drinking Man’s Diet.

I have had varying success with all of these programs but, for me, the best way to lose weight is to reduce bad carbohydratess and exercise more.

When I was younger and needed to lose a few pounds it was as simple as “no bread, no potatoes, no goodies”.

Today it is much the same. Cutting sugar out of your diet will make a huge difference very quickly and you will lose weight which also lowers your risk of heart attack due to high blood pressure, your cholesterol and your blood sugar levels. All of this is very beneficial to your health and well being.

Of course, you will look better and feel better too.

Everyone is different and everyone loses weight differently. Some people like the prepared meals brought to your door as in Jenny Craig or Nutri Systems while others prefer to cook their own food.

Weight Watchers seems to have the best rate of non drop outs and they have a new points plus program which seems to be very effective. You can join Weight Watchers right here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala where they have weekly meetings on Thursdays at 10:00 am at La Nueva Posada. You can also join online for free at the moment but you will not have the benefit of a support group and weekly weigh-ins.

The Mediterranean Diet is very popular as it is a program of lots of fish, fruits and vegetables which, of course, is going to work.

You have to embark on a program that suits you and leaves you feeling satisfied or you will feel deprived and sooner or later binge eat which defeats the whole purpose.

I find it very difficult to live without bread but by simply changing to whole or multi grain products and limiting myself to only eating bread once or twice a week I have reduced my sugar intake immeasurably.

Cutting out potatoes and rice will also reduce needless carbohydrates. If you do crave a baked potato just don’t have any protein with it. For example for lunch have a rib eye and salad and for dinner have a baked potato with a little butter and vegetables.

This is part of the Fit for Life philosophy which says that combining starch and protein will slow down your body’s digestion process and cause you to put on fat.

I have selected Splenda as my sugar substitute of choice. We also buy the Splenda for baking. “It tastes like sugar because it is made from sugar.” I have done intensive online research and it clearly states that to date there is no negative data from trials with Splenda nor is there any known link to cancer.

It is not so much “What diet am I going to go on?” but rather “How can I effectively change my lifestyle to accomplish my goal of a healthier weight?”

Exercise is also an extremely important piece of the equation to a healthier and happier lifestyle. If you even so much as go for a 30-45 minute walk 3 times a week you be very pleasantly surprised at how good you feel and how fast the unwanted weight falls off. Put the leash on your dogs and go for a walk. Your animals will be happier and healthier too.

Also there are a few good gyms in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, where you can hire a personal trainer to help you get fit.

So select a program that is going to work for you which could be as simple as less red meat, more fish, fruits and vegetables, less fat and sugar and more good fats and whole grains and you are well off to the races as it were.

Always talk to your doctor before commencing any diet and exercise program.

Good luck and buen provecho and as Nike is fond of saying “Just Do It”.

All the presents have been distributed and gratefully received, meals have been cooked, Skype calls to absent friends and family members have been made and wrapping paper has been saved or thrown out.

Toasts have been made and we can now look forward to New Year’s Eve with friends and family.

We had 9 people for Christmas Eve which ended up11. We had not entertained in our home for some time so it was important to me that everything was spit spot. Silver, copper and brass was cleaned, new blinds for the terrace were bought, noche buenas (poinsettias) were purchased and the house was cleaned from top to bottom and the pool was cleaned lights were hung and all the best silver, china, crystal and linen was cleaned and trotted out.

Candles were bought, wine was chilled and the menu gone over carefully with all the best ingredients purchased.

Treats were bought for our puppies and visiting puppies and the moment came for the guests to arrive. Our home looked beautiful and a wonderful meal was served and we all had a wonderful time together.

Christmas Day we Skyped family and touched base with all our loved ones in the frozen north.

Now we can take a breath until we start the preparations for New Year’s Eve. Hair appointments have to be made, manicures and pedicures booked, clothes selected and cleaned, reservations made and again Skype calls to family who we will not be with as we hurtle into 2011.

Although we are far away from our previous home we are lucky enough to have family members and wonderful friends here with us for the holidays. We miss our son and his girlfriend terribly but are happy they are happy and doing well in Thailand. Even though this is our first Christmas apart in 29 years, we are so lucky and appreciate everything that we do have.

Please at this time of year raise a glass to absent family and friends and perhaps do something for those less fortunate than ourselves.

We wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.

The Aftermath in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

We usually wait until Three King’s Day (Jan.6) to take down our tree and decorations but I decided to take it down yesterday as today was garbage pick up. We have had our tree since November and I knew if I left it for one more day it would be a naked trunk with a pile of pine needles at the bottom.

Taking down the tree is not as joyous putting it up. Putting all the brightly colored ornaments back in their boxes, only breaking two or three, and making sure our treasured Elvis ornament is carefully back in its place is not a happy chore. Taking down the tinsel, candy canes, strings of lights and our revered snowman which has adored the top of our tree for over 30 years is sobering indeed. Putting away all the candles and assorted other Christmas knick knacks is not our favorite thing to do. Sweeping out all the afore-mentioned pine needles is not fun and, of course, you never get them all.

However, after all of this is completed and the last box is stored away until Christmas 2009 you look around and see how bright and airy your house is once again and you remember how thankful you are for all of your blessings.

The situation between Israel and Gaza is horrible and innocent people are dying every day. No one is ever right when innocent children are dying.

President Elect Obama has a monumental job ahead of him with the economy, two wars, health care, foreign relations, homeland security and a myriad of other immediate priorities that would daunt a lesser man.

The weather is still awful in most of the US and Canada. Here we are in paradise with the sun shining and the flowers blooming. We are so lucky to have found Ajijic, Lake Chapala and we wish all of you a happy and prosperous 2009.

Christmas Brunch in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

I thought I would share my family’s favorite Christmas Brunch recipes with you.

When we first moved to Ajijic, Lake Chapala we were invited to a beautiful home in Upper Chula Vista, Ajijic for a lovely brunch party. The recipe for Stuffed French Toast was given to me (with a great deal of cajoling) after that brunch and we have made it every Christmas since.

We start with Winter Fruit Salad with Citrus Yogurt Sauce which serves 8.

This refreshing fruit salad and creamy sauce both benefit from being made ahead of time.

1 lemon
3 oranges
¾ cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tb orange liqueur (optional)
1 pink grapefruit
2 winter pears
2 red delicious apples
2 cups seedless grapes

Citrus Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tb sour cream
2 Tb brown sugar
1 tsp. finely grated orange rind
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Grate I tsp. rind from 1 orange and set aside for the sauce. Squeeze juice from this orange and the lemon into small saucepan. Add water and sugar. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Cool. Add liqueur. Peel remaining oranges and grapefruit, removing outside membrane. Holding fruit over large bowl remove segments between connecting membrane with a sharp knife. Place fruit in bowl and squeeze membranes to extract all juice. Remove pits. Peel and slice kiwi, unpeeled pears and apples into bowl. Cut grapes in half and add. Pour syrup over top and toss fruit gently to mix. Cover and refrigerate fruit overnight, tossing together once or twice. Stir together yogurt, sour cream, brown sugar, orange rind and vanilla in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving time up to 5 days.

Stuffed French Toast

1 loaf egg bread – unsliced
1 dozen eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 pkg. cream cheese

Use 3” deep baking dish rather than a shallow as it will dry out.

Serves 10

Cut crust off bread and slice in 1” thick slices and cut in cubes 1-1/2”. Butter a baking dish, spread ½ of the bread cubes on bottom add cubed cream cheese, then the other ½ of the bread. Beat eggs, milk an syrup until completely blended. Pour over bread and cheese. Cover with saran wrap and squish down bread a little into egg mixture. Refrigerate overnight.. Bake at 350 degrees in center of oven for 45 minutes to an hour until golden brown. Serve with warm maple syrup, your favorite breakfast sausages and a large pitcher of Mimosas.

Buen Provecho.

The Nutcracker in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

When our children were going to Oak Hill School they participated in this wonderful production in various roles ranging from dancing snowflakes to besotted grandfathers.

Attending this show in the Auditorium in La Floresta is a great way to mark the beginning of the traditional enjoyments of the holiday season.

The production is very exciting when your children are cast in various roles but we find it is still most enjoyable when accompanied by our now adult children.

All the traditional numbers are represented by smiling little faces dancing across the stage in full costume with beautiful music and twinkling lights.

One of my favorites is the prince tossing little Clara into the air but the dancing Chinese are a close second and who could not love the white snowflakes in their little tutus.

This year the Nutcracker is Tuesday, December 16th with two performances at 5:00pm an 6:30pm. Tickets are available at the box office in front of the Auditorium.

I know you will enjoy this production as we have for many years. We have made it a part of our most special celebration of Navidad in this most special of countries.

Christmas in Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico

My favorites are those of lonely children who have house pets like a donkey or wolverine and through the magic of the season discover the true meaning of Christmas. They always end with the gruff but hard working father, who has been a real schmuck to this point, saying “I guess I was wrong about your wolverine Johnny. That reward money for saving the town has made this the best Christmas ever. If your mom was alive to see this she’d be very proud of you.” Hugs all around.

Bells on the roof and faint Ho Ho Ho and I’m a bag o’mush. There is something magical about Christmas that goes deeper than receiving a Silex Salad Shooter but what is it? And can you really get that warm feeling here without snow? To me, like most Christians, Christmas Eve is a roast goose for supper bundling up an going to church tucking the children into bed, turning the Alistair Sim’s version of “A Christmas Carol” poring a cognac, setting a fire. Trying to assemble toys that have an instruction booklet written by either electrical engineers from MIT or some factory guy with the communication skills of a fern (i.e. … then turn the left cuff screw clockwise ‘til you hear a click as seen in fig. 762) Not only do I not know what a left wing cuff screw is but fig. 762 looks, to me, like instructions on a deboning a sparrow. But it is part of Christmas and I love it.

I’m worried thatthere in Mexico things will be different. I hate different when it comes to Christmas. Instead of roasting chestnuts on an open fire will I be at the coffee table cutting earwigs in half with the TV Guide? Jack Frost is replaced with Juan Sunstroke. And what about the food? Do they have egg nog here or is it called huevos revoltus nog? How do you say Ho HO Ho in Spanish? Plum pudding with hard salsa sounds weird. And I can just see the kids’ faces light up when they get an orange in their stocking. “Wow” they say, “ now we don’t have to go the garden and pick one ourselves”

Maybe I should just accept the fact that it will be different. Change can be good. Being open to new things can enrich our lives. But we have been here for four months now and between the fiestas de Octubre and Noviembre, the Kimono Fashion Show, parades and celebrating various Virgins, I’m enriched enough.

What I really want is to go to Sears and rumble with some old ladies over the last of the Mighty Power Rangers Action Figures. :Eat elbow old women. It’s mine and I saw it first. Get your terminally ill grandson something else.” Let’s face it. Scenes like this embody the holiday season. Old fashioned peace on earth good will toward Mastercard. Stuff that you just don’t see enough of down here.

Deep in my heart I know that ChristmasNavidad here will be fantastic. Church will be beautiful. I’ll cry when I watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” I’ll eat too much and I’ll get just as excited watching the kids open presents. Not so different really Now I just have to learn how to say Ho Ho Ho in Spanish. Cheers.