Today is the start of another long Christmas weekend ending on Monday which is New Year's Day. Since we came back from Portugal, a week and a half ago I miss more and more the calm you breathe there everywhere you go. I have always hated big crowds, and it is getting worse as I get older. I may be going to the mall and just turn around on the road if I see there are too many people going there. I can leave the gas station if the line is too big and still have enough gas to come back later on. These days, Christmas consumption makes things even worse as everyone seems to be on the road or at any mall or commercial store.
In Spain, we used to give presents to the kids, and the rest of the family, on January the 6th, as for Catholic people, that is the day the three kings brought their presents to Jesus. So when I was a kid, the purchase nightmare was mostly concentrated on that day. Now with global consumption, Santa has become the king and most families give presents on December 25th but still some keep celebrating Kings Day. There are still parades all over on the eve of January 5th so the purchasing nightmare keeps running until then.
Today, it is a little bit chilly and that reminded me of the weather temperatures we had while in Portugal. It was colder there but very nice and the best part of that was the tranquility you could feel, especially in the morning where you could only hear the birds and breath the green all over. This photo was taken the day we left when I was packing everything to hit the road.
After entering into the apartment from outside, you could smell the local cheese we purchased from a store in the village, and although I am immersed in digital global projects every day, I love enjoying local in real life. Those cheeses will be our family presents for this year's King's Day.
