Christmas in Monterrey is noisy!
Mexicans enjoy celebrating holidays with fireworks. Starting Christmas Eve we heard firecrackers (some little, but mostly big, like M-80s), bottle rockets, and other loud things. We were told to expect it at midnight, but no one waited that long. Eventually it quieted down somewhat, allowing Boots, our fearless dog (ha!), to allow us to sleep. This didn't last long, since the midnight Mass crowd got home about 2 AM and promptly ignited their fireworks... in the empty lot across the street from our house... until about 3:30.


Here's Emily with her low-key fireworks (the legal kind).

We did NOT get up early to open presents. In fact, we didn't open them until around noon. I'm holding an item Emily really wanted: a hand-held bug zapper. I'm sure she'll put it to good use once the mosquitoes return.

Here's the fabulous chicken Emily baked for our Christmas dinner.


Boots even got a special treat. Emily took leftover egg yolks (from cardamom bread - yum!) and whipped up a sort of quiche. Eggs, meat, cheese - Boots' favorite food groups!

Here's a picture of a special cake (rosca de reyes) made for the holidays (New Years, in particular). It's mildly sweet, has bits of fruit around the outside, and hidden somewhere inside is a small, plastic toy (a baby). It's considered good luck to find it. More details on this page.