In the tropics, Christmas Spirit (as I have grown up to know it as: the frost, the snow, the chilling wind, and that tingling feeling in your hands when you come in from the cold, et al) is kind of non existent in the tropics. It is kind of wierd walking around and hearing jingle bells and sleigh ride when I am thinking about walking around the city at night in just my t shirt. Santa sure has rosy cheecks here, but they are rosy becuase he suffers from heat stroke having that beard and wool suit in the hiegth of summer. And there are not chesnuts roasting, rather my skin scorching in the tropic sun. We are passing into summer, so it is getting hotter and dryer. At least there is a breeze to blow away some of the humidity. And the kids all out of school for summer vacation. Add that to the already crazy adult "muchedumbre" running around the un-airconditioned malls, the persipration rate has gone up quite a bit here in Panama. Its beginning to smell alot like Christmas. Ahh, Christmas Musk.
It doesnt look like Christmas, the decorations just seem a little out of place. But walk past any grocery store and there is another smelll of Christmas...Pine Trees. And since they are cheap, I was tempted to buy on to get my apartment to smell nice and Christmas-y.
They say that smell is your stongest sense, and it actually makes up 90% of your sense of taste, and that smells are the easiest memories we make: a smell with stick with us for years. I even tried in college to smell my cologne while I was studying, hoping that I would somehow magically recall all the information I crammed into my brian by simply smelling my cologne during the test.
The smell of trees make me feel like it actually is Christmas when my sweat glands are doubting it. The "Christmas Air" Floor disenfectant makes me almost feel that I am little kid again waiting anxiously at the base of the tree to open presents and eat cherry mash and brownies. And the smell of fresh plastic from all the bags just sitting around holding treasures and gifts make me remember bundling up in my sweaters and wrapping presents.
Its beginning to smell like Christmas. Thank God I have a functioning nose...I would go holiday-less without it.
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2 comments:
Hey Chris, Merry Christmas from Tom and Miles!
Chris, Miles and I are thinking about a quick weekened trip to PC to see what's up at Loma Cova (I sponsor 3 kids there), maybe have dinner with you, Church with them, than shoot back to the comforts of home. Maybe in late Feb or March. You'll be around? I'll email once we set time.
Tom
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