My Christmas in Peru

A lot of people asked me how we celebrate Christmas in the U.S., and what kind of traditions we have. Really it is very similar in Peru, although my family likes to play a lot of games. Elianas family had a Christmas tree, and presents under the tree. And there is a special dinner, when all the family gets together. But that dinner is the morning of the 25th, when the clock finally gets around to 12:00 a.m. So it is a very late dinner, and I think we got to bed around 3:00 a.m. A lot of people set off fireworks at 12:00 a.m., and that was loud. The kids opened presents, and my nephew Gabriel, who is 2, he would leave his new toys and run to his parents every time some loud fireworks went off. Eliana and I made deviled eggs, and a fruit salad. Also we ate turkey, a potato salad, rice, 2 really good jello type dishes, and a homemade apple sauce. About 23 people were here for the dinner, and so we had 2 turkeys. But their oven does not get real hot, and so we took the turkeys to the nearby bakery, and they cooked them in their big industrial oven that is usually used for bread. And we weren´t the only ones that did that. They were cooking turkeys all day, I would imagine they cooked between 60 and 100 turkeys. Our turkeys were filled with cut up onion, apples, and not sure what else. We ate more turkey for lunch today.
For New Years, Eliana and I will be in the church, because the younger people will be there all night, and we probably won´t get to the house, and go to bed until 6:00 or 7:00 a.m.
Hope you all are having a good Christmas. Eliana and I are hoping to spend Christmas in the United States with my family in 2008. And then to spend new years with her sisters family in Utah. We are praying for that.